Actress Jumoke Odetola has announced the acquisition of a new home in Lekki Pride II, Lagos.
In a post on her Instagram page, Odetola expressed gratitudes to God, attributing the achievement to divine intervention.
The actress described the new home as an “11th hour miracle”, thanking a home property for their role in facilitating the purchase.
Odetola’s post was accompanied by photos of the new property, showcasing her excitement and joy.
“One of God’s blessings to me this year. Grateful heart. Everything I own, I owe to God Almighty, the giver of blessings that come with no sorrow and peace of mind. Thank you, @zylushomes, for upholding your watchword integrity.
“A home that comes with all the right documents. A home that comes with peace of mind. Say hello to the latest landlord at Lekki Pride II. God did @zylushomes is the vessel. God of last minute miracle has visited me & this is my 11th hour miracle!”, she wrote.
Actress and producer Jumoke Odetola has lamented over the current state of social media, criticizing the prevalence of “clout chasing” and a lack of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and common sense among users.
In an Instagram post, Odetola described how interacting with people who lack these qualities can be mentally draining.
She also expressed her exhaustion with feeling secondhand embarrassment from individuals she neither knows nor engages with.
Turning to faith, she prayed for strength to ignore negativity, remain unbothered, and avoid wasting time on issues that do not concern her.
She wrote: “In this age and time where clout chasing is the new currency and lots of people do not even know where and when to draw the line.
“If you still have common sense, emotional intelligence, social awareness, and self-awareness. I bet you don’t realize how blessed you are. The irony is it’s a blessing wrapped in thorns, those who lack these basic qualities can be incredibly frustrating. You will be getting embarrassed on behalf of people who don’t even know/send you.
“Dear God, please save me from the burden that isn’t mine. Grant me the grace to look away, be unbothered, and not spend hours pondering on the embarrassment that isn’t mine”.
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
(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.
Award-winning Nollywood actress Jumoke Odetola has shared her excitement and inspiration from the ongoing developments in Nigeria’s film industry.
In a recent chat with The Nation, the talented actress revealed how Nollywood’s current wave of creativity is fueling her own ambitions and driving her to new heights.
“I am inspired by what’s happening in Nollywood,” Odetola said. “When you see people doing great things, it opens your mind. For some, it may lead to negative energy, but for others, like me, it sparks creativity and pushes us to do more.”
Odetola, known for her versatility in playing various roles, hinted at a major upcoming project. Without revealing too much, she promised that her big movie would be coming soon, but added, “No pressure.”
In addition to sharing her views on the thriving industry, the actress opened up about her interest in biopics, describing them as one of the most challenging genres in filmmaking. She noted that unlike fictional stories, where the creator has complete control, biopics demand a careful balance between different perspectives and the expectations of various audiences.
“Biopics are the most difficult stories to tell because there are different perspectives and arguments for and against them,” Odetola explained. “It’s easier to tell fictional stories because it’s my story and I can tell it however I want. But with biopics, someone somewhere will tell you they’ve read a book or seen a play that presents things differently. No matter what, you open yourself up to criticism because there are always different schools of thought.”
She expressed gratitude to her Maker for the strength and good health despite persistently falling ill.
“Congratulations to me. MBA …checked. Started well, finished successfully. Thank God for strength & good health despite persistently falling ill. Big ups to my adorable sisters @fatimoh.salami.33 Thank you! Thank you! Thank you,” she wrote.
