Celebrating 20 years in the Nigerian movie industry, ace actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde granted an interview to Encomium magazine.
In her interview
she talks about her journey in the movie industry thus far, while also
talking about people who have helped her grow. She also revealed that
there were certain points she felt that her career threatened her
marriage.
Read excerpts from her interview below:
On her highs and lows in the past 20 years:
In the last 20 years, let me start from the low, which was the time you
had to make sacrifices, especially when not very many people were in
that boat with you, you sometimes feel alone. You sometimes feel you’re
carrying the weight of the whole world, all by yourself. Another part
of the lows I can remember is when you hear a very ridiculous rumour
about you, you don’t want to degrade your brand and all that. Every
time people say something about you, you don’t want to go and start
granting interviews, they will turn you to chatterbox. You don’t have
to be talking, talking and constantly defending yourself. So, those
were the few lows I can recall. But when you talk in terms of the high
aspects, to be honest, being in this profession is a major high on its
own, for me. I love what I do. I was born into it. I enjoy doing it. I
think and live it. That alone, I am always grateful to God about it.
Every time you do a project and it comes out the way you expect it, it’s
a high because there are so many times your projects won’t come out the
way you designed them. Anytime the project I am doing is successful is
a major high for me. It’s like a personal victory. So, to me,
everything about this job is a high.
On her career threatening her marriage:
No, not seriously. At least, it was in a way that shook my marriage.
The only time I would say I worried was when the movie, The Prostitute
came out. And that was the first major fresh shaking I had. It was
like a kind of controversy. From the movie poster to the sex scenes,
whatever in that movie that was shot after I left there but was shot as
if I was the one who did it. And you know, Nigeria was not ready for
that, so there was a lot of controversies around that. So, that was the
only time I really worried about my marriage. And to be frank and
candid, until my husband told me he wasn’t bothered, then I had peace.
On her music career:
That’s a very difficult question to answer. I would say everything I
wanted to do so far I have done. I will say the only thing that has
been a little difficult for me is maybe, my music career. That’s the
only thing I have gone into that I cannot say specifically I am very
successful with. And not for me to blame myself also because I have not
really given it the required time. There are so many musicians that
after their two or three albums, they still didn’t make it but after
they continued and they are consistent in what they do, they eventually
become big names in the industry. For me, I would not want to say
entirely it’s because I am an actress and that’s why I have not done
really well music wise. People that have listened to my music know I
really do good music. But some would want to say I can’t sing or do
good music simply because I am an actress. People would remember Naija
lo wa till tomorrow. And that was done in 2005. People only don’t want
to credit me that I released a hit, whereas Naija lo was was a hit even
before most of these hit albums. But when they’re calling their hits,
they will never mention Naija lo wa. They won’t because I am an
actress.
