A friend introduced me to acting
I started acting through a friend, Leo Mirani. We were both fashion models then, but he was the one who introduced me to acting. I had always had it in me, but I never knew how to go about it. So, we both went for an audition, after which we went for cast selection for a TV commercial. When we got through with that, he took me to a movie audition and I remember Fidelis Duker was the one who coordinated it; that was in 1992. I got picked, my friend wasn’t. And that was the beginning for me.
Acting is paying off now
It has been encouraging. It has not been easy though, but thank God things are finally picking. You can’t compare when we were acting then and now, remuneration wise; the difference is so large. And I think for everything you want to do in life, you need belief and resilience, as that will prepare you to keep hanging in there, because you know there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
To me, it is more about a dream. I remember when growing up, there were TV programmes that got us all glued; exciting us with what they were doing. So I felt the need to reach out to people too and do that, and impact upon then positively, get them informed, educated and entertained. So for me, my dream has come true; it is me living the dream than the money.
Piracy is not being fought like in other countries
There has been a great rise. Today, Nollywood is regarded as a global phenomenon. That alone attests to the fact that it is making a whole lot of grounds. The only setback we are still having and I think that is not synonymous to the Nigerian movie industry, is piracy. It is everywhere. But I think here, it is too porous. The security system in trying to curb them is too porous. So they are the big clog in the wheel of the progress of the movie industry. So I believe that it should be taken care of, because certainly, piracy can never be eradicated it can only be doused.
It is really eating too much into the industry. I was driving recently and while I was in traffic, some guys approached my vehicle. They didn’t know it was me. So, they knocked on my window and started pointing the pirated copies of October 1 to me at N100 each. They were taken aback immediately they saw the anger on my face. And he was not the only one there, they were a lot of them. And I just wondered that with all Kunle Afolayan put into the production, is this how it’s supposed to end? If the law enforcement agencies were up to the task, they should just arrest them straight out. It is a crime.
And it is not just that one, there are a whole lot of other movies that have been pirated and are and yet to be released; they hawk it fearlessly in the traffic and nothing is done about it. So I believe that is the major problem in the industry. A lot of people want to be entertained, and a lot of others want to invest, but they are discouraged.
The industry needs proper structure
I think it all spirals down from piracy which is the major clog. Asides that, there are some co-operations that we don’t get. For instance, there are places that we might want to go and shoot and you would have to take into cognisance that you might meet thugs there; they might demand for money or stop your shoot. So, there are challenges as regards security, marketing and distributing issues. If these structures are put in place, there will be a whole lot of improvement.
English movies cost more than Yoruba movies
There was a time we had a recess in the English industry; there was a problem with marketing and before that time, most of the shoots were being done in Lagos. When that happened, most of the actors were frozen out of the industry, because people were no longer investing so much into the industry, it costs more to shoot an English movie than a Yoruba movie. But for me, prior to that happening, I had already started Yoruba movies gradually while I was still shooting English. And even lately, I do more of English soaps, most of which were shot internationally. However, it is not just about you appearing for appearing sake, it is about you appearing and it enhancing your profile as an actor.
Actors have to be versatile
For me as an actor, I take delight in shooting a movie that has a very good script; with all the ingredients in place. The storyline, the message behind it and how educative the story is, and then the challenge that I’d face while playing the role and how I can get it surmounted gives me joy. I try to look for different roles to play, because it enables people to see how flexible you are as an actor. As an actor, your joy is to be able to interpret different events and get felt. Not until people either love or hate the character you played in a movie, you have not delivered the message.
You can’t rush a good production
There is no magic to it, except if the script is not so demanding, because even shooting a commercial where someone picks a bottle of soda from a table could take six hours, because you try to perfect the sequence. So, for you to shoot a whole movie in three days, I have my reservations on that. I have heard people shoot movies in three days, but I’ve never being a part of that such production before.
Playing a mad man, one of my most challenging roles
I hold all of my roles dear to me. But the most memorable one for me would be playing the character of a derailed man in the movie ‘Problem Child.’ It was not easy breaking into the psychic of a mad man; we just see them walking around, we don’t really understand what is going through their mind. But for me, acting is about internalising a role and understanding the character. I get transformed into the character required.
So the high point of the role was playing it to a point where someone on the street felt that I was actually mad. I remember we shot the movie in Surulere, where we were living. And in a particular scene, the character had to pick food from the refuse; the camera and the crew had to hide themselves in a broken up tractor, which was far off from where I was. I remember some people had to run home to tell my parents. It was that real. Also, the role I played in Ifa Iwa was quite interesting.
Ifa Iwa was a memorable experience
The movie took me into the deep history of the Yoruba and the intonation and everything had to be very deep, unlike the normal Yoruba I was used to. I grew up in Lagos and I understand Yoruba really well, but that movie was quite a different experience for me. In fact, rendering those lines was a task for me. It wasn’t easy, coupled with the renditions we had to make. There was an Ifa priest on the set and everything came out fine and for people to really accept it despite seeing me in another light is overwhelming.
How I managed to stay scandal free for 23 years
First, I try to fear God. I am not a saint, but to a large extent, I fear God, and that helps in giving me that restrain not to let anything get into my head. We’ve not gotten anywhere, if we look at our peers internationally, some of them get paid $50 million just for a flick, so how much do we get paid here that you will now start thinking that you are tin god. It is wrong. You should thank God that people appreciate you and not get swollen headed over it. There are over one million people jostling for that same spot. So, you should be grateful that you have it.
Growing up, I loved football
Growing up for me was really fun. I was born in Lagos and I played football for most of youthful days. I was nicknamed King Periera, because I was really good and I played football a whole lot. So my parents moved around a lot because of me because they felt that was all I did. I was so good that I was paid N10 as at 1978/79, just to play one match, and that was a lot of money for someone my age then.
So, for most people that knew me then, they must have thought that I would end up being a part of the national team. But to my parents, it was affecting my education, so they had to move to Agege, hoping that a change of environment would make me focus. But it didn’t work because I would still go out after school to play football and come home late at night. They felt my life was in danger and we had to move back to Surulere.
Why I didn’t end up as a footballer
My parents felt it was for dropouts, they didn’t see it as a profession. Even the acting, I had to put my foot down. I remember in 1985, I was supposed to go to England to play, but my parents kicked against it. Being an only son, my father never allowed me to take up football as a career.
Although they also didn’t like it when I told them I was going into acting, I told them I had gone to school and I was back. I told them that all I needed was their blessing because that is important. I was able to appeal to their reasoning, because whatever they were saying then was obviously out of concern.
I could have become a painter
I would have been a painter. I draw really well.
My favourite football club
Barcelona; it is the best club. Take it or leave it, football is modeled after Barcelona. They play a pattern every club envies. Football is about entertainment and Barcelona is the only club that entertains consistently. Even when they are losing, they are playing to entertain.
Acting has been fulfilling
Yes. Like I said, the monetary issue taken out at first, the recognition is really overwhelming. Also, financial wise, yes, because as time goes by, you get to do a whole lot of other things from that recognition. And over time, the pay goes higher because you have garnered a whole lot of experience and people are confident with your performances.
My role restriction
I can’t strip bare. Other than that, I can do anything.
Comparing the international acceptance of English and Yoruba movies
It is basically because of the language...
But Yoruba movies are subtitled...
Yes, they are subtitled, but it is easier to watch a movie that you can pick the language without watching it.
Not everyone understands Indian, Chinese or Philippines’ movies, yet they are widely accepted. Is there a problem with our subtitling?
Yes, people watch those movies, but it would have been more entertaining if one understood the languages than reading the transcriptions. That is why movies are universal, it is not until you understand the language for you to relate with it. So for English movies, it is easier to follow. But for Yoruba, first there is cultural difference with most other people, and even if they get enthralled maybe by the mode of dressing, in the cause of reading, the excitement is doused.
Now talking about subtitling, it is pathetic. It is because they are not ready to pay the people that can get the job done. And if you are watching a movie and what has been subtitled does not correlate with what is on the screen, the message would have been taken off and the intensity that was meant for that particular seen would have been being taken away from it.
How my marriage have lasted 21 years
You just have to pray to end up with your friend. Once you find your missing rib, that is all it takes.
I started acting through a friend, Leo Mirani. We were both fashion models then, but he was the one who introduced me to acting. I had always had it in me, but I never knew how to go about it. So, we both went for an audition, after which we went for cast selection for a TV commercial. When we got through with that, he took me to a movie audition and I remember Fidelis Duker was the one who coordinated it; that was in 1992. I got picked, my friend wasn’t. And that was the beginning for me.
Acting is paying off now
It has been encouraging. It has not been easy though, but thank God things are finally picking. You can’t compare when we were acting then and now, remuneration wise; the difference is so large. And I think for everything you want to do in life, you need belief and resilience, as that will prepare you to keep hanging in there, because you know there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
To me, it is more about a dream. I remember when growing up, there were TV programmes that got us all glued; exciting us with what they were doing. So I felt the need to reach out to people too and do that, and impact upon then positively, get them informed, educated and entertained. So for me, my dream has come true; it is me living the dream than the money.
Piracy is not being fought like in other countries
There has been a great rise. Today, Nollywood is regarded as a global phenomenon. That alone attests to the fact that it is making a whole lot of grounds. The only setback we are still having and I think that is not synonymous to the Nigerian movie industry, is piracy. It is everywhere. But I think here, it is too porous. The security system in trying to curb them is too porous. So they are the big clog in the wheel of the progress of the movie industry. So I believe that it should be taken care of, because certainly, piracy can never be eradicated it can only be doused.
It is really eating too much into the industry. I was driving recently and while I was in traffic, some guys approached my vehicle. They didn’t know it was me. So, they knocked on my window and started pointing the pirated copies of October 1 to me at N100 each. They were taken aback immediately they saw the anger on my face. And he was not the only one there, they were a lot of them. And I just wondered that with all Kunle Afolayan put into the production, is this how it’s supposed to end? If the law enforcement agencies were up to the task, they should just arrest them straight out. It is a crime.
And it is not just that one, there are a whole lot of other movies that have been pirated and are and yet to be released; they hawk it fearlessly in the traffic and nothing is done about it. So I believe that is the major problem in the industry. A lot of people want to be entertained, and a lot of others want to invest, but they are discouraged.
The industry needs proper structure
I think it all spirals down from piracy which is the major clog. Asides that, there are some co-operations that we don’t get. For instance, there are places that we might want to go and shoot and you would have to take into cognisance that you might meet thugs there; they might demand for money or stop your shoot. So, there are challenges as regards security, marketing and distributing issues. If these structures are put in place, there will be a whole lot of improvement.
English movies cost more than Yoruba movies
There was a time we had a recess in the English industry; there was a problem with marketing and before that time, most of the shoots were being done in Lagos. When that happened, most of the actors were frozen out of the industry, because people were no longer investing so much into the industry, it costs more to shoot an English movie than a Yoruba movie. But for me, prior to that happening, I had already started Yoruba movies gradually while I was still shooting English. And even lately, I do more of English soaps, most of which were shot internationally. However, it is not just about you appearing for appearing sake, it is about you appearing and it enhancing your profile as an actor.
Actors have to be versatile
For me as an actor, I take delight in shooting a movie that has a very good script; with all the ingredients in place. The storyline, the message behind it and how educative the story is, and then the challenge that I’d face while playing the role and how I can get it surmounted gives me joy. I try to look for different roles to play, because it enables people to see how flexible you are as an actor. As an actor, your joy is to be able to interpret different events and get felt. Not until people either love or hate the character you played in a movie, you have not delivered the message.
You can’t rush a good production
There is no magic to it, except if the script is not so demanding, because even shooting a commercial where someone picks a bottle of soda from a table could take six hours, because you try to perfect the sequence. So, for you to shoot a whole movie in three days, I have my reservations on that. I have heard people shoot movies in three days, but I’ve never being a part of that such production before.
Playing a mad man, one of my most challenging roles
I hold all of my roles dear to me. But the most memorable one for me would be playing the character of a derailed man in the movie ‘Problem Child.’ It was not easy breaking into the psychic of a mad man; we just see them walking around, we don’t really understand what is going through their mind. But for me, acting is about internalising a role and understanding the character. I get transformed into the character required.
So the high point of the role was playing it to a point where someone on the street felt that I was actually mad. I remember we shot the movie in Surulere, where we were living. And in a particular scene, the character had to pick food from the refuse; the camera and the crew had to hide themselves in a broken up tractor, which was far off from where I was. I remember some people had to run home to tell my parents. It was that real. Also, the role I played in Ifa Iwa was quite interesting.
Ifa Iwa was a memorable experience
The movie took me into the deep history of the Yoruba and the intonation and everything had to be very deep, unlike the normal Yoruba I was used to. I grew up in Lagos and I understand Yoruba really well, but that movie was quite a different experience for me. In fact, rendering those lines was a task for me. It wasn’t easy, coupled with the renditions we had to make. There was an Ifa priest on the set and everything came out fine and for people to really accept it despite seeing me in another light is overwhelming.
How I managed to stay scandal free for 23 years
First, I try to fear God. I am not a saint, but to a large extent, I fear God, and that helps in giving me that restrain not to let anything get into my head. We’ve not gotten anywhere, if we look at our peers internationally, some of them get paid $50 million just for a flick, so how much do we get paid here that you will now start thinking that you are tin god. It is wrong. You should thank God that people appreciate you and not get swollen headed over it. There are over one million people jostling for that same spot. So, you should be grateful that you have it.
Growing up, I loved football
Growing up for me was really fun. I was born in Lagos and I played football for most of youthful days. I was nicknamed King Periera, because I was really good and I played football a whole lot. So my parents moved around a lot because of me because they felt that was all I did. I was so good that I was paid N10 as at 1978/79, just to play one match, and that was a lot of money for someone my age then.
So, for most people that knew me then, they must have thought that I would end up being a part of the national team. But to my parents, it was affecting my education, so they had to move to Agege, hoping that a change of environment would make me focus. But it didn’t work because I would still go out after school to play football and come home late at night. They felt my life was in danger and we had to move back to Surulere.
Why I didn’t end up as a footballer
My parents felt it was for dropouts, they didn’t see it as a profession. Even the acting, I had to put my foot down. I remember in 1985, I was supposed to go to England to play, but my parents kicked against it. Being an only son, my father never allowed me to take up football as a career.
Although they also didn’t like it when I told them I was going into acting, I told them I had gone to school and I was back. I told them that all I needed was their blessing because that is important. I was able to appeal to their reasoning, because whatever they were saying then was obviously out of concern.
I could have become a painter
I would have been a painter. I draw really well.
My favourite football club
Barcelona; it is the best club. Take it or leave it, football is modeled after Barcelona. They play a pattern every club envies. Football is about entertainment and Barcelona is the only club that entertains consistently. Even when they are losing, they are playing to entertain.
Acting has been fulfilling
Yes. Like I said, the monetary issue taken out at first, the recognition is really overwhelming. Also, financial wise, yes, because as time goes by, you get to do a whole lot of other things from that recognition. And over time, the pay goes higher because you have garnered a whole lot of experience and people are confident with your performances.
My role restriction
I can’t strip bare. Other than that, I can do anything.
Comparing the international acceptance of English and Yoruba movies
It is basically because of the language...
But Yoruba movies are subtitled...
Yes, they are subtitled, but it is easier to watch a movie that you can pick the language without watching it.
Not everyone understands Indian, Chinese or Philippines’ movies, yet they are widely accepted. Is there a problem with our subtitling?
Yes, people watch those movies, but it would have been more entertaining if one understood the languages than reading the transcriptions. That is why movies are universal, it is not until you understand the language for you to relate with it. So for English movies, it is easier to follow. But for Yoruba, first there is cultural difference with most other people, and even if they get enthralled maybe by the mode of dressing, in the cause of reading, the excitement is doused.
Now talking about subtitling, it is pathetic. It is because they are not ready to pay the people that can get the job done. And if you are watching a movie and what has been subtitled does not correlate with what is on the screen, the message would have been taken off and the intensity that was meant for that particular seen would have been being taken away from it.
How my marriage have lasted 21 years
You just have to pray to end up with your friend. Once you find your missing rib, that is all it takes.
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