- As an actor, production crew can ruin your career
Joke Silva, 62, is a wonderful wife in every sense of the word. She is attractive, intelligent, respectful, submissive, and dependable. She has been building a beautiful family with her husband, veteran actor Olu Jacobs, for over four decades. Their marriage is so strong that celebrities who have been divorced and ‘baby mamas’ often view it with scepticism.
Career-wise, Joke is an award-winning actress, theatre director, life coach, and entrepreneur. She could turn into a necromancer at the call of ‘lights, camera, action!’ by the director. She could dance, sing, and act, making her a delightful presence in motion pictures and theatre.
At the Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA) in Lagos, she used her experiential knowledge to offer solutions to the current economy hardships, how the creative industry could ease the distress with power of collaboration among other issues. Writes OLAITAN GANIU.
Aside from acting, Joke Silva-Jacobs is passionate about good governance and political emancipation. No surprising, in October 2012, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime appointed her as a goodwill ambassador.
“If we think about it, the economy that we are in at the moment is global,” she said. “The recession is global, it’s not only Nigeria. Every country is trying to sort out this economy, which I think is because of COVID-19.”
The famous thespian stressed that the best way to navigate the country out of the current challenges and redeem our image as nation is through collaboration.
“The way to survive the economic hardship is by collaboration. Creative industries are the ones that can project and protect our nation the way we want to be protected and the charge is that they will project us as positively as possible.”
EVERYBODY IS A STAR
Solidifying her point on the power of collaboration, Silva took a trip down the memories with an enchanting story. “Let me give you a very short story. My husband, Olumide Jacobs was filming in Tunisia alongside other actors including Walter Matthau, Cris Campion, and Damien Thomas. I think Roman Polanski was the director,” She began.
“Olu was one of the major actors in the movie titled, ‘Pirates’ in 1986. So, during the production, I decided to visit him on the set of the film. I got there early in the morning, around 4 or 5:30 a.m and I saw they had built a huge boat for the film and also set up different equipment. On one side, I noticed a well-decorated table with all kinds of fruits, drinks, and snacks.”
As a Nigerian actor, Silva thought the reserved table was meant for the popular film director but she goofed.
“I thought the chair was meant for Roman Polanski but I discovered that it was kept for the continuity person of the film. An old woman with grey for that matter,” she enthused. “The entire atmosphere of the set changed when the elderly woman was coming. She must have been in her 70s. Somebody hastily went on to carry her bags and another person went on to accompany her to the table. I was shocked on how they are pampering a continuity person. That’s unlike us in this part of the world.”
THE PRODUCTION CREW CAN MAKE OR MAR YOU
She advised actors to remain grounded and appreciate their production teams as they contributions massively to their success, urging them not to be carried away with their celebrity status.
“Where’s my story going? In any specialities you find yourself in the creative industry, do it with excellence because we are in an industry that strives on collaboration. It is a must collaborate.
“As the actor don’t think because you are always the one in front of camera or on the stage, it means you are more important than the stage manager. The stage manager can destroy you if they don’t do their job well.
“Imagine if they don’t give you the right cue or make sure that the props person gives you the right props. You know how that can messes you up. Imagine if a costumier gives you a costume and the costume is so tight that you can hardly lift your arms or get the wrong material, and you are right in front of the camera where you’re supposed to be laughing, and the whole thing is scratchy.”
JUXTAPOSITION OF HOLLYWOOD AND NOLLYWOOD
Giving a justification of her experience, the actress whom ma refers to ‘Aunty Joke’ in the Nigeria’s film industry emphasised the significance of lighting in film production.
“Another thing that I discovered during my career is the issue with the lighting person. At that time (late 90s), we had so many lazy lighters that we only prefer light-coloured women because they were easier to light but for black people like me, they lit me haphazardly that I hardly showed on the screen,” she said giggling.
“In 1999, in England, when I got to do a movie titled, ‘The Secret Laughter of Women’ directed by Peter Schwabach and shot by a world-renowned cameraman, Martin Fuhrer. Everybody was like, ‘oh God! You’re so lucky. Can you imagine? It’s Martin Fuhrer who is your director of photography….’ I was like I never heard his name before. I only know Tunde Kelani (TK).
“The day they asked me to come and watch some rushes of the project and I saw the way this guys lit my skin. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was so beautiful. So, when the film came out, I took it to some of the lighting people here and said ‘Look, it is Oyinbo that light black person like this ooo. You got to get your game up.’ So, it is a collaborative effort.”
SILVA KEEPS SHINING LIKE A GOLDEN
As one of the iconic women in the Nigerian creative industry, she has paved the way, set a standard, and is still respected. Silver recently featured in a blockbuster Bolanle Austen-Peters (BAP)’s movie titled, ‘Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’.
According to her, the film tells the story of Fela’s mother, a fearless female leader who sparks a revolution against colonialism and patriarchy in Nigeria.
“Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, from her pioneering days as the first female student at Abeokuta Grammar School to her marriage to Israel Ransome-Kuti. Together, they challenge oppression and create the Abeokuta Women’s Union, igniting a fierce battle against colonial and traditional rulers. This narrative artfully contrasts FRK’s tireless activism with her delicate balancing act as a wife and mother, revealing the indomitable spirit of a woman who changed the course of history. The film emerges as one contribution to the important conversations people are having now around women, identity and the constant push for equality.”
…SHE KEEPS SHATTERING THE RECORD
The actress’s career spans 34 years with an impressive filmography that includes ‘White Waters’, ‘Women’s Cot’, ‘The Amazing Grace’, ‘Phone Swap’ and several stage play including ‘Mad King of Ijudiya,’ ‘The King Must Dance Naked’, ‘Hear Word’ among others.
For her distinguished contribution to the progress of the Nigerian creative sector, she has received many awards and recognitions at home and abroad. In 2014, she was conferred with the Member of the Order of Federal Republic (MFR) by the former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan.
No doubt, Silva is well known for her beauty and her incredible acting performances both in theatre and on film.
