Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw is starring in Kunle Afolayan’s latest television movie, Roti. In this interview with JOE AGBRO JR, she talks about her experience on the set, clarifies the ownership of Kate’s Pants and why she works out. Excerpts
Can you tell me about your role in Roti?
Roti is about a couple. The wife has had two miscarriages and she now gets pregnant with the third child and prayerfully and hopefully believes that the child will stay. So, the child is Roti, Durotimi, that is stay with me or wait with me. She then loses him. So her world comes crashing down. And then her mother-in-law puts an idea in her head that the child will come back. It’s like about re-incarnation, that the child would come back in another means, telling her that her own husband was not the first child to the mother-in-law and that there was another child. And when this child came, he was behaving in a similar manner like the African belief in reincarnation. That’s basically what the story is. She tries to get her husband on-board but at the end of the day, it didn’t turn out well for her because she tries to steal the child because she can’t deal with having to see him in another family and all of that.
What’s your role in Roti?
My role is Diane. I’m Roti’s mother.
Reading the script, how did it come across to you?
It was very interesting because I have never done anything like this. I’ve never seen a story like this. I’ve been in this industry for so long and Kunle had mentioned it to me, I think in November, during AFRIFF. I just looked at it like one of those things, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then, he told me again when they were ready to shoot. The script interested me, that is why I took it up.
Because, in Africa, reincarnation is really a big deal
Yes.
But among westerners, reincarnation is not really a big deal
They have the belief too. They believe you have somebody else on the other side of the world who looks exactly like you. So, that is reincarnation but their own explanation is like two people who are similar, who are the same but in two different continents or two different parts of the world. But for Africans, you know, folklore and all those things we grew up with, they tend to colour our concept of life. We’re very traditional people, we’re rooted in our traditions and our culture practices.
You started a fashion line…
I did not start a fashion line ooo. That’s how tax people went to the woman’s shop and said Kate’s Pants is owing them taxes. Exclamation is a designer. She has stores on the Mainland and on the Island. Now, I’m doing a charity drive in conjunction with Oando Foundation to raise money to build a school for primary school students in Ewekoro (Ogun State).
Oando Foundation is committed to capacity building for school children and rebuilding schools and providing new buildings for primary schools, nursery school, secondary schools across the country. They’re in conjunction with the state government or with individuals and embassies, well-meaning people. There was this lady, Tomi of Exclamation, she approached me saying, ‘I would like to be part of it. I’m going to create a line amongst my retinue of clothing. We’ll call it Kate’s Pants.’ It’s there already. She just decided to name it Kate’s Pants.
Also, there are videos of you working out
Yes ooo. Everybody is working out, why is my own strange?
It’s like power work-out
(Laughs) I don’t understand. People around the world work out, even much better than me. I can understand that it is a novelty here in Nigeria but we’re lazy, very lazy. We just like to eat, eat, eat. We like to sit, sit, sit. In the house, car, office. We don’t like to move. But when we travel, we walk to the shops, to the train stations, we walk around. So, mine is to just get a lot of people working out and telling them that age or whatever is not a barrier.
A professional fitness trainer complained that your workout was very tough
Can you imagine? Maybe she’s doing light workout. Me, it’s heavy. I do intense workout. I’m used to it. I’m addicted totally. No shame.
Why did you begin it?
I would say in secondary school (Federal Government Girls College, Calabar), I was quite sporty. I got the prize for most versatile student. I did everything. I played basketball for my secondary school. I did hockey, volleyball, badminton, track and field, long jump, high jump. But after a while, you get to a place where you just want different things for yourself. So, I started exercising. It was scary, it was painful, headaches, malaria, body pains, everything. But, I’m glad that I chose a fit lifestyle. Like in five years, I’ve not been to the hospital or anything. No headache, malaria, typhoid – all gone.
Some Nigerian entertainers have found it challenging taking care of their health and have resorted to begging the public. In what ways can this be stemmed? How do you see this situation?
Let me say this as you have said abegging. People already see us up there like a roof over a house. It sorts of bring you down, not even as an actor but as a human being. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, but are you doing your periodic checks? Do you have insurance for your healthcare? Why should members of the public have to come and give you money because you’re ill? What happens to them? Who gives them money? People look at us as role models and we now bring ourselves down by begging. I don’t support it. But members of the public, if they want to help, yes. But at the end of the day, it’s a personal choice to decide to look after yourself. This work that we’re doing is very stressful, extremely stressful.
When we work hard, we play even harder. Some people would drink, party, just to relieve stress. At the end of the day, you owe it to yourself to be healthy. You owe it to yourself to visit your doctor, even for the slightest pain. Women for cervical cancer, breast cancer, men, prostate cancer, you have to check yourself. It’s very important. That money you spend going to the doctor will save you a whole lot.
How have you been able to come out with your head high despite the fact that you’re in public space?
I have come to a realisation that this life is one. Life is one, life is yours to live. So, you choose the kind of things that you let into your space. The older you get, you come to realisation that it’s about those who care about you. Those who matter support you.
Those who don’t matter, you just have to find a way to push them outside. Because if you let negativity into your space, you’re going to start doubting who you are, second-guessing yourself. When anything happens to somebody, it’s that individual, it doesn’t happen to the collective. So, if you’re going through pain, it’s just you. Now, the most important thing is for you to get up. Dust yourself up, don’t stay down. If you stay down, people would even be tired of helping you. Even our Lord Jesus Christ suffered trials and tribulations. So, who are we?
So, what is Kate Henshaw up to this year?
(Laughs) That’s it. I also have a movie coming out. The movie is called The Women produced by Blessing Egbe, starring Ufouma McDermott, Omoni Oboli and myself.
