Bukky Awoyemi started her journey into the make believe world in the English movies, but later crossed over to Yoruba when she played the lead role in Tunde Kelani’s Arugba. The actress’ career can be described as soaring, what with her own movie at hand. In this interview with DUPE AYINLA-OLASUKANMI, she talks about her challenges in producing her first job and achievement so far. Excerpts
TELL us about your new movie……………………………….. I thank God almighty for giving me the opportunity, because it has always been my dream to tell a story of my own right from school. Actually, this was not the first that I thought I would produce because I had one particular story that I wrote while I was still in school. But I wrote it for the stage while in my 300 level.
As I was writing it, I was seeing it on screen; I was not seeing it on stage. But since I was still a student I wrote it for the stage. So when I graduated I converted it from play to screen play. I won’t say I am a filmmaker like my boss Tunde Kelani, but I will just say I have a story to tell in my own little way. That is what I am doing presently.
Are you saying this new movie was written while in school?
No, this particular one I am working on currently was written after I graduated. But the one I wrote while in school was the one I thought I would produce first. But looking at the logistics I kept it aside. Probably, it will be the next.
This one you are working on, is it on a lower budget than the other one?
Well, I decided to do this first because I feel if I want to achieve the other one, a lot of things have to be put in place because it is traditional. I feel every story or movie has its own challenges, this just came by and I just started writing and decided to do it first.
What about your experience as a new producer?
It gave me a lot of experience, like being a producer and also acting at the same time. Being an actress and a producer are two different things. Producing and acting at the same time is the most challenging situation anybody in the industry could find him or herself. I tell you, you will have to concentrate on the success of the production because sometimes you might be waiting on an actor, or one is not even going to show up.
And probably you are shooting somewhere and you are being given problems, like you are not sure they are going to let out the place for you to shoot. And you have to pick up your script and act again. It is like swinging from one mood to another. Honestly speaking, if I would have my way, if I want to produce, I don’t think I would want to act.
Why didn’t you drop one for the other when you discovered the challenges?
It was my first time, because the story was written by me. I saw everything and the storyline was written around the things I could do, because the character in the movie sings, and I sing. I also did the songs and wrote it myself to the glory of God. So I felt I could do it; since it was written by me, it would be best delivered by me. But on getting to the set, I saw a different ball game on location.
Sometimes I would wake up at 5am and sleep at 5am. It is as good as not sleeping at all, and I have to be awake by 8am again and start shooting. I feel to really concentrate on production, just be a producer. But for people who have done it severally, it is just a piece of cake for them. But for me it was very challenging, because I wanted everything to be perfect.
Why the choice of Uche Nwaezeazu, GUS 6 winner, and ID Cabasa?
While I was writing I wanted a new face; I didn’t want a face that was already there. I wanted people to see it from another light and not just the normal Yoruba movie. Bringing in an Igbo guy was not intentional. I wanted a new face and thought of a Yoruba guy. But as God would have it, an Igbo guy came along. I was telling my friend Bola Lawal who helped in the screen play too that the kind of guy I wanted for this script is a tall, huge, dark-skinned guy.
And she said there is this guy that comes around to Surulere, we could just talk to him. And I asked what he looked like and then we went on the internet and checked him up. So I said he is tall and cute. We contacted him and he said he has never done a Yoruba movie before. I asked him if he could speak Yoruba and he said he could try. And he said this is just divine connection and he did it. I tell you Uche is a great actor. As we all know ID Cabasa is a producer and he produced all the three songs I did in the movie. We had already produced the songs before commencing the movie. So I felt since I would need a producer in the movie, why not use a real one? That was how he came in.
The actress, then producer and now a singer…
Everything is God’s talent, and you just have to use everything. You will just have this love to use everything that s embedded in you. While growing up I was in the children’s choir. But all along I didn’t know I had a voice.
It was when I got to secondary school that I said maybe I can sing. We had a school choir, and then I would mime Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean and all the other songs I loved easily. Then I discovered that I could write songs and compose poems.
What category would you place your songs?
I won’t call them traditional songs; I would need to give it a name. Because it sounds like R&B, but most lyrics are in Yoruba because it is featured in a Yoruba movie. By God’s grace I might end up releasing its audio or video later. It is like R&B, I am yet to place a name on it.
I grew up listening to the likes of Whitney Houston, but R Kelly is my best. And I love worship songs too. ID Cabasa really tried, he was God-sent; the way he mixed it, it will cut across deep traditional people and the present contemporary world. My dad and my grandma could hear the lyrics.
The period TK found you and now, what can you say about it?
I thank God because the road to the top is not all smooth. If I tell you all has been smooth, then I am not telling the truth. I read that if you are aiming for the top and everything is straight, then it is not leading anywhere. You need to go back. I won’t say everything has been straight. There are times that everything would be all nice and it would be like magic. I mean like from one movie location to the next; then get invite for award, travel abroad and I would be like life is sweet. And then, next, everything will be like “phew”.
I might just go broke, no awards, no travelling and face some challenges. All these things make me sit back and know that there is somebody called God. It is not that He can’t make everything straight for us, but because we are human beings, if He makes everything straight for us, we won’t remember Him and may feel it’s by our own strength that we are making it. Making this movie was very challenging for me; it’s been God, even meeting Tunde Kelani himself was the making of God. I am not a Lagos girl, but grew up in Ilorin all my life and here I am, starring in the best film-maker’s movie. Things that could have been a bit difficult have been easy for me.
Would you say you got the role of Arugba because of your innocent look?
It was just God o. Before I got that role, I was still an undergraduate, which was in 2003. And 2004 I came to Lagos for a proper visit to do my IT at MITV. That was the time I made up my mind that I would look for Mainframe Production outfit. I didn’t even know there was someone called TK. With their movie jacket I collected from Ilorin, I asked my uncle who I was staying with at Ojodu Berger where Oshodi was.
I took the jacket and went to a call centre to call their landline that same day I got to Lagos; somebody picked it and asked what I wanted. I replied that I wanted to speak to the MD, and the person asked what I wanted again and I asked if they had space for IT and the person replied no. I was sad, but if you have a dream you shouldn’t just sit down and expect magic to happen; you have to take some drastic steps. And you don’t have to do some dirty stuff to get there; don’t be desperate. I called again and I was able to convince the person to let me come over to their office. I went back to my uncle, who gave me money and direction; they didn’t want to discourage me.
I went back in 2006 and introduced myself and he said he didn’t know me. And he asked what I wanted and I said I wanted to act. Then they were working on Abeni, but he was through with casting and asked me to try other places, which I did. On December 19, 2007, my birthday, I prayed to God and said I wanted a birthday present. I didn’t know he was working on Arugba; he had auditioned a lot of people, in fact celebrities. I just went and said, sir do you remember me? And he said he had not seen me before (laughs).
I said I have been coming, and that I was done with school, youth service and all I wanted to do now was act. He asked if I could speak Yoruba, that I speak English too much. I said I can sir. So he gave me a script, called another lady who I was auditioned alongside. He asked me to come back and gave me the script again to read. I did and went back that I was through, he asked me to go back again, and I was like this one is strict o. After that he asked me what I was doing for Christmas and I said I was travelling, so he gave me the script to take with me. I didn’t know I had gotten it. That was it.
What about your move to the English sector?
I started with English movies. And my very first was in Ilorin. The producer was new too, and it was an English movie; but a Yoruba setting and I played the lead. The movie only made waves in Ilorin. I also did the sound track of the movie. That was the movie a Yoruba producer saw and called me to come to Lagos to act a Yoruba movie titled Mundia, I played sub-lead.
After I did that I was not getting any roles again because Yoruba movies do not do auditions. So 2007 I made up my mind to start going for auditions in English movies and I was getting roles. I got so many roles; in fact God didn’t start with me with waka pass. But I was at that moment not particular about any, I just wanted to act.
It went as far as getting to Abe Igi at the National Theatre, and the crowd you will see there, you will know it is only God that can pick you out. You too, you will pray for waka pass. My first English movie was Poisonous Affairs. I played sub-lead alongside Monalisa Chinda, Desmond Elliot and others. After that I got other sub-lead roles playing alongside A-list actors. So, the whole of 2007 I was doing English and then one Yoruba movie with Oga Bello, who God used for me too in my career.
At the end of 2007 I got Arugba and the whole of 2008, knowing how Tunde Kelani works; he is someone that he will not be satisfied until he releases the movie. I didn’t have the time to go back for auditions. That was what took me away from the English movies, and I pray I am still going to do English as time goes.
Were you intimidated working with the A-list actors?
I was not intimidated. I am a professional actress, a Theatre Arts graduate. If you only have the talents and are not a professional you can be intimidated acting alongside your senior colleagues for the first time. When I was jittery was when I got Arugba, where the likes of Bukky Wright, Lere Paimo, Dele Odule were mentioned and I was playing the lead.
So I was like how can this small me be playing lead, while they were playing sub? What would I do now? I was scared. These were people that I have been watching before I became an actress. But Tunde Kelani and God made it simple for me. He said you will do your own and they will do their own.
What was your parent’s reaction when you told them you were moving out?
I came for my youth service, I stayed with my uncle but then he moved to his own home in Mowe. Which was far for me, and then I was going for auditions and then we were having problems. I would be out late and they won’t sleep and be worried to know if I was fine. So I moved to stay with a sister who is in the industry.
I wanted to get a house when I was still serving, but my dad said never, you will not stay alone. So I went to stay with my cousin, who is married now. But you know staying with people, you know how it is. So when my dad saw how it went, he didn’t have a choice. It was few months I finished my youth service that I got Arugba. I was just moving from one place to another and surviving in Lagos is not easy. And acting roles were coming, they could not ask me to come back to Ilorin. And during my youth service I had done like three movies which I took home for them to see.
So, they were like, okay, this is success, they can’t stop me. And since they don’t live in Lagos, so where will I stay? I stay alone with God and His angels.
With your beauty, why are you still single?
It’s a very funny question when people ask, why are you still single? Everybody wants to get married though some don’t believe in marriage. But for me I believe in marriage, I grew up in a Christian home; a happy home. So I want a happy home for myself too. I pray very soon God will do it. I will have my own husband and kids.
You are yet to take up challenging roles. Why?
As an actress I can play any role. But I don’t believe in you exposing part of your body, I don’t see it as fashion. If I am playing a prostitute, I will have to wear some dresses that will tell who I am. So is playing a banker or lawyer without you hearing my lines.
If I am playing the role of prostitute, I will have to wear my short dress, but you don’t have to see my boobs. I don’t like exposing my boobs. If it happens you see it, it is by accident. Not that it is intentional.
Are you saying on a normal day, you can’t be caught wearing short wears?
Nah nah, on a normal day, you won’t see me like I am dressed going out; I’m not on set and you see my boobs out.
2011 was your year of awards. What happened in 2012?
It was my year of nominations, but I didn’t get any awards and it was my year of movies too. I mean I was just doing movies. But 2011 I was just getting nominated and getting awards, I got like six.
And 2013 you should expect a lot because you will be seeing me in another light. You will soon start seeing me in movies that are challenging this year. You will see me in movies where I am very angry, crazy, mad, playing prostitute. That is what makes an actress. Me too, I don’t want to be seen playing innocent roles only.
