Yoruba Nollywood Superstar actress, Eniola Ajao, has clear the air on the viral claim trending on social media that she has an affairs with Nollywood legends, Odunlade Adekola.
In this exclusive interview with Mr. Adedoyin, she speak about the challenges of actors, her academic qualification as a trained accountant, and how she eventually found herself in dream in the movie industry.
Below is the interview in Questions and Answers.
I’ve seen your face more in Odunlade’s movies. What’s the connection between you?
The relationship between my boss and I, Odunlade, is that of a boss and subordinate. I’ve known him for like over 10 years now. I’ve been in the industry for the past 16 years. I was somewhere before I went to school and came back to the industry.
How did you get to know him?
I met him in 2009 when I went to a location I think with the late Moji Olaiya. I saw him and I went to him. I told him I was a big fan and that I will like to join him. He then said he does not have a caucus in Lagos that his school is in Abeokuta. That was how it all started.
I usually go for rehearsals every Wednesday. And I may come back that day if it’s not late or next.
Is that why you appear more in his movies?
Maybe I should say I make myself available for his movies. He will not call you to say he has a role for you. He is a very disciplined man. So whenever I hear that there’s location in Abeokuta, I would pick my bag go there immediately.
So you have an automatic slot with him?
Because I am under him. Definitely everyone has a slot so far you make yourself available.
So what has been your experience with male fans on your Instagram page.
It’s not been easy. Some will call you a snob because most of them do not understand you. I’m not really an outgoing person so whenever they meet me, we just greet and move from there. Most want to create a relationship which I am not ready for.
How do you reply your male admirers without knocking them off?
I don’t always know what to say and I don’t want to be rude. So it’s better to ignore.
But what about the male folks in the industry, those who admire and love you? How do manage them, mixing emotions with profession
It depends on how you relate with them. I’ve people who have asked me out in the industry and I turned them down. You hear people say that in the industry they sleep with one another. But it’s what you want. Nobody can force you to do anything in this life. It takes two to tango. So anybody that’s harassed put herself in that position.
What was the challenge and experience?
The experience was not good because it was my first-trying to source for money, trying to think of the character, thinking of how to pay the people on set, and their welfare. As a producer, all the casts and crew members are on your neck. So you just have to look out for their well-being.
Were your parents in support of you being an actress?
No. Actually, my dad wanted me to be an accountant. So he was against it before he died. And I promised him that I was going to finish my education, do whatever he wanted want me to do but at the same time I love acting. Acting is always what I’ve always wanted to do even when I was in secondary school. It has always been there. So, when I graduated I went into acting.
Have you been harassed sexually on a movie set?
Never! At what age?
How do you balance this with the family life?
Well, my people understand the kind of job I do and they understand me.
Are you married?
No, but soon.
What else do you do aside from acting?
There are other things I will be doing in the future. I’m a business person. Let’s see how things unfold.
I’ve not seen any Yoruba movie in the cinema yet.
There are Yoruba movies in cinema. Yes. Some Southwest cinemas take it from us but if it’s not like 70% English and 30% Yoruba, some cinemas like Silverbird will not accept it from you.
It is often perceived that Yoruba movies are local and English is ‘posh’ and English actors make more money than Yoruba actors.
It is because they shoot their own films in English. There’s nothing spectacular about them and they can see us as razz people. Most of their productions are low budget productions. All those ones they did in Onitsha. They don’t have story lines. We do. Yoruba’s believe in helping one another. Feature in mine and I will feature in yours which doesn’t happen in English Nollywood movies.
Yoruba movie industry is always based on relationships which is killing the business aspect of the industry. It’s one of the things I’m not happy about. You call me for a role and you want to pay me 200k for a role I should collect like 1million for. It’s not nice. And if I agree to do it for 200k that means I will call you to do mine for me for that amount.
Are you a twin because people call you Ejire?
Yes, I am. I have a twin sister. We look alike but not very identical.
Are you bringing her into the movie industry?
No. She’s not interested. People say I’m shy, but she’s more shy. She knows what I do but she can’t be part of it. But she supports.
Why don’t you use the name Taiwo, why Eniola?
She has her own name. I’m Taiwo, she’s Kenny. She’s Lolade and I’m Eniola. People know us.
She also speaks on the movie projects she is currently working on titled Matron and Okuta Ija.
She explained that the movie is about Sexual Abuse adding that there is a lady in the story who had a rough upbringing. She was abused, molested and this made her grow up to become a tough lady and she used all she had in mind to revenge after some years so she became very notorious.
According to her, The movie which feature the likes of Yinka Quadri, Jide Kosoko, Sunni Ali, Odunlade Adekola, Madam Saje, Alesh, Nike Hamsat, and Olaniyan Tosin was shot in Nigeria.
“I think that is because of the character I played, story line and everything that’s around the technical parts of it. We actually shot it in Nigeria. We used several locations, several beautiful places. And it’s kind of unusual to what I’ve been doing for a very long time.
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