Category: Entertainment

Nigerian film star and director, Muyideen Oladapo Kofosi, aka Lala, pleasantly surprised many when he went back to school, despite acquiring fame, to complete his tertiary learning at the Obafemi Awolowo University. A few years later, he received a Master’s degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos, and is currently eyeing his PhD. Unknown to many, Oladapo had been industrious even before amassing fame so much that he built and ran a bakery in Surulere, Lagos, long before his face became popular for acting. He has been in the industry for over two decades, and in this interview with The Nation’s Entertainment Editor, GBENGA BADA, the thespian opened up on his career, life and education.

How have you been able to put working and schooling together?

First, it all depends on your wish and passion. My father always tells us that my fortune is in my palm. He said all the lines in my palm aren’t there for nothing. You have to catch up to realise who you are and if what you’re doing is right. It’s just like rechecking if you’re still on track.

Did you actually pick up a banking job after your studies, as speculated in some quarters?

About the bank, let me clear the air. What happened is that I worked with an organisation, and they were into properties, they were into real estate. I was an ambassador, and I did skits for them. That’s where I dressed like a baker, and the internet picked it up, saying I had become a chartered accountant, and if you want to borrow money, come to me. I had to tell them I’m still an actor and a thespian. Banking is good, but it’s not my way. 

How true is the tale that you owned a bakery?

I have a bakery. I had a bakery from the onset, even before I became popular in 1996. The bakery is still there in Surulere. It’s called ‘Kososi’ bread. People still patronise. I opened another one at Shomolu last year, so there are two bakeries now. The name of the first bakery was Kososi because that was my nickname then, Saheed Osupa and Femi Branch still even call me that name, 80% of people call me Kososi. 

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You have been involved in both film and stage productions. What are your experiences?

The film and stage are the same act, but not in the same form being presented. In movies, you go to many locations, but in a stage play, everything happens in one place, even though we still have one locale. The stage play can be converted to different places and it’s more tasking than the film. Screen actors can’t act on stage. Stage acting isn’t just for anybody; the difference between the two is there. If there are mistakes in a screen acting, you can still say cut and re-act and even edit during post production but you can’t do that in stage acting. If anyone makes a mistake in a stage play, that means you have spoiled everything. In a stage play, I have to know my lines and also know my colleagues’ lines in case one person misses their line, so I can always cover for them. Opera is also a type of stage play where actors sing and act. They perform musically in a practical setting. As a director, I also have a music director who would also write in musical language. The actors have to sing in a unique way to make it more professional. Some plays are westernised, and so we have to match them up and make them more traditional, so it’s tasking. 

Was your background originally theatre? What’s the plan going forward? Are you planning to go into stage performances or back to movies?

I started from the stage with my boss, Dagunro Alakija. I have been in his group for years. He took me to places, including Cameroon. The influence of school/academics is different because it’s a formal setting. What I didn’t realise before I got back to school, there were some theories that had to go with some movements. Schooling also made me realise the genres of stories I used to write that I didn’t know about before, like satire, unknowingly. There were some movies I wrote about that I didn’t really know about. I wrote ‘Omo Ni Kara’ where Funsho Adeolu acted like an imbecile, I acted as his junior brother, it was satire too, I didn’t know that was the genre. It was school that made me realise that. School made me know the theoretical aspect of it. I graduated from the OAU, and so my first job was a stage play. A professor called me, saying that he wanted to direct a stage play and he wanted me to be a part of it. The professor gave me a role that challenged me. One thing I like about myself is that I love facing challenges, and if I don’t face challenges, I won’t conquer them. Challenges prevent you from being stagnant. 

What is the full pronunciation of your name?

Muyideen Ademola Kososi. My parents named me that. 

So, what is the story behind the Kososi?

We had a family friend who used to cure all types of diseases. He used to stay in Ilorin then, Alhaji Dauda. Anytime he came to our house, my dad would give him all the room upstairs to attend to his patient. His name was Alhaji Dauda Kososi, and during my naming ceremony, he said he wanted to give me one of his names, so he named me Kososi. Since then, that’s how I was called that name. For Lala, it was from a movie I got the name from, during a Funke Akindele movie. People like the name, so I now produced another movie, and I used the name again, but the very first movie was ‘Ekuro.’ Another person was actually meant to be given the role, but I got it. They were going to remove me because they wanted to give it to another person. I got angry and just went to another location in Osogbo. Funke insisted I’d play the role. She cried and insisted that I would act the role; my mind had even already shifted from it, but they started calling me, and I didn’t pick up. Then Funsho Adeolu called and asked where I was. I told him I was in Osogbo. He asked me to come to Lagos the following morning, as Funke insisted I had to act that role. I told my friend Afod I had to be in Lagos. I drove back to Lagos. When I got to Lagos, I just stayed in my car and didn’t talk to anyone. In the movie, I was to act as a hooligan, and I had to say exactly what was in the script. I couldn’t say anything outside the script, but fortunately, my character was free, so I had to just flow. When I was about to play, I did it so well and said something I wasn’t meant to say, which got the director angry, but we were able to handle it in a fun way.