Nollywood actress, Yvonne Jegede-Fawole made headlines earlier in the year when she wedded music maker and actor, Olakunle Fawole, aka Abounce, a move which she says she doesn’t regret. OVWE MEDEME caught up with her on the set of Tade Ogidan’s new movie, Gold Statue where she talks about marriage, career and relationship with her mother in-law, the late Bukky Ajayi.
WHAT role do you play in this movie?
I play the role of Aliyah. She’s a prisoner in the film.
How challenging do you think it would be?
We are about to start filming Aliyah’s part but it’s a character that is full of fun, full of life. Inasmuch as she’s a prisoner, she’s also a spoilt kid. So she found herself in jail and her parents still pushed one or two buttons, know the right people to talk to and got her the most comfortable cell ever. She’s quite the fun character because there’s partying in her cell, there’s drinking, there’s booze and everything. It is fun and I like fun.
You seem to like the role a lot
I do. I’m excited I’m on this project.
Is it similar to something you’ve done before?
No, it’s not. I have played the role of a prisoner in a movie before, but a prisoner that has been bubbling? No. So I can’t wait to explore.
So what are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to this film being the biggest ever in the whole of Africa because this is Tade Ogidan’s job. Expect very standard, world class production. And I assure you, it would blow your mind.
How did you get cast for the role?
I know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody. That’s how I got cast for it (Laughs). Tade Ogidan is very close to my late mother in-law, so if he’s shooting the film and he doesn’t cast me, there will be war. Uncle T knows that. I’ll just kill him, slowly.
Talking about your mother in-law, when she passed, you were very emotional. How close were you to her?
We were very close. I mean, I dated my husband for about 12 years and we were pretty much very close. I used to go over to the house and see her loads and loads of times.
How much of her influence is reflected in what you do?
She’s influenced me so much. First of all, discipline on set is one thing she always talks to me about. Secondly, she always reminded me to be a person which is one thing she has imbibed in my husband which makes life easier for me because being good has to flow easy through you. You don’t have to think about it, you don’t have to stress about it.
And she was that kind of person, she was just good. She was a mother to every person in the street; she was a mother on set. She was a mother to whoever it is, no matter where you are from. So basically, when you find people like that, which is very rare in life, when you find them anywhere, hold them close.
He was on the set too. Where there awkward moments?
No, there weren’t any awkward moments. Coincidentally, I first met my husband on set actually, on a Tade Ogidan’s production. That was 14 years ago. At that moment, we didn’t know each other. We just acted and left. So right now, when we are acting together, there is no awkward moment between us. And then again, we do a lot of acting at home. We play a lot of roles and everything.
Role playing the way we know it?
Yes, role playing the way you know it (laughs). Please, I didn’t say that.
What is life with Abounce like?
Life with him is easy. He’s a music producer but he’s more of an actor right now. Life with him is very easy. He’s easygoing, he’s smooth. It’s just easy basically. I don’t know any other word to qualify it.
Between dating and getting married, did you face any difference?
There’s no difference. It’s the same thing. He’s the same Gee. He’s my Gee.
What was the attraction for you?
His intelligence was what actually attracted me to him. He’s smart, he’s funny. He’s easy going. He doesn’t take life too seriously. He laughs from the depth of his heart, if you know what I mean. And most importantly, he’s a human being. He treats everybody equally.
Does the job come between you sometimes?
No it does not. We don’t see ourselves as celebrities when we are together. We are just husband and wive and we relate as friends.
