BOLAJI OGUNMOLA If I Have the Right Context, I Can Go Nude in a Film

Super saturday

Nollywood actress, Bolaji Ogunmola’s image excites. She knows and she is proud of it. Bolaji doesn’t give a hoot about people’s perception of her but her grind and success in her chosen career. Beyond her image lies a pretty brainy, busy and determined creative who knows that whatever positive impact you make of yourself matters. Bolaji on set of an upcoming movie tells it more in this conversation with Ferdinand Ekechukwu

What’s new with Bolaji Ogunmola. What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently shooting a film called True Colours directed by Biodun Stephen. It has Ibrahim Suleiman, Kachi Onochiri, Jessica Obasi, and a few other people. That’s what is new with me this morning.

You have featured in quite a good number of movies, which one of these movies readily comes to your mind and why?
I think Sobi’s Mystic because it changed the game for me.
A couple of years back it seems appropriate calling you a fast rising actress. Would you say you have gotten stardom at the moment?
Well stardom is relative; the fact that people know what you do and they identify with it and you mix with them. That just makes me happy and humble. So if that is what qualifies as stardom then, so be it. If not, I would still say that I’m upcoming (laughs).

To what extent has being in the entertainment affected your lifestyle?
My lifestyle? Well to me I don’t think I have a life anymore. I mean I’m so busy that I don’t even have a social life so to speak. I’m always on the move, always doing stuff always. You literally don’t have a life. That’s the honest truth.

If you weren’t into acting what would you have been doing?
Interestingly I would have been a business owner. I love business a lot. Though, I’m still a business owner anyway. What would I have been? Maybe a lawyer. Yes. Being a lawyer would have been one of it. I’m sorry I have not even studied anything that is related to arts or law or anything about that.

What excites you most as an actor and what inspires you?
I think the script, the production value, the people involved. There’s something amazing about having people that have you know synergy, that have a goal and a vision. They are all… erm we all work together because filmmaking is collaboration. It’s not one person. So I really, really that excites me. I always want to give my 100% to those people. That inspires me so much in my career together with my ability to better myself and the ability to grow as a person.

There’s this issue making the rounds among industry members suggesting that light skinned actresses are hired more than their dark skinned counterparts. What do you have to say about this? Any experience?
Well, yes, I have had an interesting experience about that to be honest and sadly it’s the truth and that was at some period. I think for me, the new generation of directors and casting directors don’t even have a problem whether you are light or dark. I think that thing started with the older (I’m not sure but I’m just saying) generation. Because the new guys coming up right now that have had like maybe three or four directorial credits to their names really don’t really care about whether you are a dark skin or light skin. What they care about is the content of your talent as regards what you can do and how you can portray the character. This is the most important thing because at the end of the day, we are Africans. Africans are dark skin people. So if you tell that a person who can only be paid by light skin I think you are shallow. That used to be a problem at some point. But I think generally right now it’s not so much of an issue as regards your skin colour. So it’s relative.

There’s this notion that showbiz is no place for decent women who want to build a home and family. What’s your take on this?
I think it’s untrue. It is whatever you are, is what you are. People cannot change what you are. If you are not a family-oriented person being an actor will not change that. Or will not make you a family-oriented person. I think it all boils down to your values you know – growing up, what you believe in. These are the things that elevates or make you look it. They now make it look like because you are an actor, no. It’s who you are! It’s like having money and you now say because the person has money now he’s proud. He has always been proud. You know values are things that are innate. It’s something that you have before whatever it is you become. Still talking about this thing, you have to understand that acting is a profession. It’s not a lifestyle. Being a celebrity can be a lifestyle, but acting is a profession like every other profession.

Looking at your career from when you started in 2013 you have done pretty well for yourself you know owning your own production company so to say and all that. But to some extent perception about the success of female actors in Nollywood mostly is linked to “sugar daddies”…
That’s their business o! See, in this life, any woman that is doing well is automatically seen as somebody being sponged. And it’s not necessarily true… They wouldn’t even look at the number of works; do you understand. Sometimes, you don’t sleep. I can’t remember the last time I actually had a free week – a free seven days to myself. It has not happened in like four/five months and that’s the truth. So it’s a perception. It is the world that we are living in. Some don’t even respect the work that the person puts in. My job is not to convince you that this is it. My job is to do my own and live my life the way I deem it fit. And I’m good with my conscience. I don’t have any capacity to start explaining. I don’t even want to explain myself to people; there’s no point.

What are the things you treasure most in life?
Family, my friends, God, and my career.

Talking about career as professional actress, if you get offered a mouth-watering sum to go nude in a movie will you oblige?
Well (laughs, laughs again), I feel like being nude; what is the content of the film? Does the script has to do with whether it is really needed to be nude or not? It’s not really fully about the money. Money is a huge consideration for anything in life but what is the context of that script? Do you really need to go nude? Do you understand… if the content is right I would limp towards it. But if the context is wrong, I will not.

So if the context is right you would limp towards the nude role?
That’s the thing. But the truth about it is you know we have Dolby (video technology) these days that you will never know that it is not the person, that you will never know it’s not me if you are not in the room where we are filming. There are ways to go about it these days. So it’s never about being categorically nude; except for the sake of this interview let me say no because I know that if I have the right context I can go nude in a film.

It appears you are a single mother. Is she searching? Who is your ideal man?
I’m not a single mother o! I don’t have a child. . .

You don’t have a child really, maybe I must have miss-read somewhere…
No I do not have a child. I have a godson I don’t have a child. Ah I’m not searching o! My ideal man is someone that has values. Someone that is God-fearing. Someone that is spontaneous. Someone that knows what he wants out of life and pursuing it. Someone that can take care of a woman…

So you are not concern about how rich, how fat his pocket is?
That’s interesting because if you are on your path and doing well you should be comfortable as of to do. If you are not comfortable, what are you looking… why are you craving somebody? You don’t have to have billions but be on your grind money will come.

Tell us some intimate things about you like your hobbies, phobia, your favourite food, favourite colour…
A lot of people don’t know I’m ambidextrous. Funny enough my production company has done over five films under the Ogunmola Company. I love to watch films a lot – Korean movies. I love to eat actually… good food. My favourite food is ‘amala ewedu gbegiri’. I like to sleep. Honestly I love to make money. I think that’s my number one hobby (laughs… people around me are laughing at me). My favourite colour is yellow. My phobia is failure, I don’t like to fail.