Known for her performances in Yoruba and English-language films, Jumoke Odetola has established herself as a crossover talent, constantly pushing the boundaries of story-telling in Nollywood. In this exclusive interview with ADENIYI ADEWOYIN, she opens up about the growing prominence of the Yoruba sector, the relevance of epic stories, and the creative process behind bringing these narratives to life. With big screen ambitions on the horizon, Jumoke shares her thoughts on Nollywood’s global potential, the challenges of biopics, and the importance of staying inspired in an industry that never stops evolving.
IT seems the Yoruba sector of Nollywood is coming all out with big projects, what’s your take?
That’s a very laudable and interesting thing right now I must say. We are deep, Yoruba as a language is deep, and the culture is deep and everything about it has depth so seeing us being who we are and people reckoning with that is a great feeling and we are just about starting. People want to start tagging us as epic movie producers but this (Queen Latifah) is not epic and it is a very relatable story. That is to tell you that we are dominating.
What are your thoughts on epic stories in Nollywood?
I’m so happy we are doing epic stories because it is our language, it is our tradition, it is our culture, and if we don’t tell our stories other people will do and they will give it their narrative. So, it is a very good thing that we are telling our stories ourselves.
What can be done to further harness this attention the industry is getting by telling these beautiful stories?
Everything is unfolding and sometimes you don’t have it all figured out at once. The opportunities are boundless, we may not know where the next step will take us but the thing is that we are already in it and there is no limit to what we can do.
Would you suggest that producers should step down a bit on making epic movies?
No, we should not because there are a lot of stories to tell. If you look at it, no two stories are the same despite the fact that they are epic, they are unique and each one has a message. We are not going to reduce telling epic stories because there’s nothing as deep as the language and the culture that you cannot take out.
We see a lot of movies going to the cinemas lately, do you think every movie is cinema-worthy?
I would say every story is big screen worthy it just depends on how you tell the story. For instance, if my entire story is that I’m going to London I could just wake up and you will find me in London but if I want to tell it in a bigger way you will see how I’m waking up from the bed, how I’m preparing to get into the car, while in the car something happens and then I get to the airport and stuff will start unfolding. It depends on how you tell your story but believe me any story can be captivating, it’s just the approach.
Some movie lovers are beginning to say that biopics are a cheat for filmmakers; they opined that filmmakers are running out of creativity
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(Cuts in) Biopics are the most difficult stories to tell. There are arguments for and against it. It is easier to tell fictional stories because it is my story and I can tell it however I want. For biopics, people can reference it. They will tell you there’s a book they read, there’s a stage play or someone somewhere heard a story somewhere, so biopics are actually the most challenging because it is open to criticism.
When is your big-screen movie coming?
Very soon. No pressure.
Are you saying you are not pressured by what your colleagues are doing with big-budget movies?
I’m inspired and motivated; I want to gather more inspiration. When you see people around you doing, well it opens your brain also. It depends on how you want to take it, for some people it leads to negative energy but for some, it inspires and springs up creativity.
As a crossover actress, would your big project film be in Yoruba or English?
Language is just a medium of expression. It is the story that would dictate the language. You shouldn’t let the language you speak tell you the story. If you’re telling the story of someone in the hood; where in the hood is the person? Is he in the village or a place where they speak pidgin? It should be your story telling you what language you are not dictating.
What do you do to catch fun?
I love my company, I’m a loner. When I’m on my own, that’s when I enjoy it most. I love it when I’m alone and when I can listen to myself.
What’s your big dream for Nollywood?
I’d say we are getting there but it is that global recognition for our stories to reach everywhere. For us to be able to tell the stories that we want to tell and for us to reach the right audience.