With impressive appearances in such award-winning movies like Figurine and Anchor Baby, Omoni Oboni has, no doubt, proved to all that she is a talented actress. For some reasons, the mother of three is now one of the most talked-about Nollywood stars, following her new movie, Being Mrs. Elliot, in which she made her debut as a director. In this interview with MERCY MICHEAL, she talks about the controversy trailing the presidential screening of the movie, why she went into directing and the secret of her successful marriage, among others.
MANY were surprised to hear about the private screening of your movie, Being Mrs Elliot, at the presidency recently. How were you able to achieve that seemingly impossible feat?
Actually, we wrote to the presidency through the Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria and we didn’t think our letter would be honoured. We just wanted to try our luck. When they said they were going to do it, I was still thinking they might probably change their mind. So, I didn’t publicise it. In fact, I didn’t talk about it until the day of the event. I put my invitation on my Black Berry display picture because I actually got an invitation to the event. How was I going to enter without the invitation? So, I put my invitation on my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook on the afternoon of the event, which was a Thursday. That was when people knew about it. Until after the event, I was saying to my assistant that, if I wake up and this thing is a dream, I will kill myself (laughs). I was like, are you sure I was actually sitting on the high table with the president, governors, ministers, senators, House of Representatives members, elder statesmen and the PDP chairman? I was like, are you sure it was about me and about my event? It was just such a big thing. And I think it is a big feat for Nollywood because it just goes to cement the president’s support for Nollywood. Nollywood has never had it so good from any president ever. You can say anything you want to say about President Goodluck Jonathan; but the truth is, he has actually given us a lot of support. I mean a president of a nation would actually sit down for two hours to watch a movie and still say a lot of good things about it, after returning from Calabar, where he had gone to inaugurate some projects. It just goes to show that Nollywood has really come of age. And I just hope and pray that everyone will see it as a success story for Nollywood and not just for me.
Why were you invited to screen your movie?
I don’t know. I really wish I could answer that question. I think it’s just grace and favour. Again, maybe they were at a point when they wanted to do something like that and it just came or they just looked at it and thought, why not? I guess they thought it was a nice way to show support and to show that they actually watch our movies.
What was the most remarkable comment made about the film at the event?
Oh! They actually loved the movie. The president asked me, because I played two roles in the movie, if I am a twin and I said no. He said: “How did you do this?” and I said I played the two roles. He then said: “How did you slap yourself?” and I said it’s film technology. The Presidential Banquet Hall is a new hall and it is not purposely built for screening movies. So, he said: “If the quality of the movie can be this good just coming from a projector, I imagine how good it will be showing at Silverbird.” He said the quality of the movie is definitely very good and it can stand internationally with any other movie in the world. For me, that is just phenomenal.
What stands this movie out?
When I was going to do this movie, I wanted to do a very good movie. I wanted to do a movie that people would watch and understand why I am not in every movie. Also, when I reject some scripts, they will understand where my mind is. So, I paid attention to the scripting, the actual movie-making, the post-production and everything. So, I guess that’s why it’s doing well everywhere it has gone to. We have submitted to different festivals and award places, and it has been bagging nominations left, right and centre. It was the opening film at the Nollywood Week in Paris, France. An opening film is usually like one of the biggest films of the festival because it sets the pace of the festival. So, I’m just happy that a lot of hard work was put into the making of the movie. Trust me, when we were shooting, I used to sleep an average of three hours every night. So, I’m just glad the hard work is paying off. And then, I’m glad also that our sponsors will not be disappointed. There is no way I could have done it on my own. We shot in three states; so, the logistics of moving people and equipment around shot the budget of the movie very high.
It must have definitely opened some doors for you
Yes, I’ve been getting some calls to come and direct, but I’m not ready for that now because I still have two other movies that I directed that are in post-production stage. And that’s going to take a lot of my time. Apart from this, I have to now promote this movie, release it and market it. So, there is a lot on my plate right now. Yeah, I would eventually work for a couple of other people; but right now, I’m so caught up on what I’m doing.
At what point did you decide you were going to direct the movie?
I don’t know at what point exactly. But you know, I’m a scriptwriter and I’ve written a couple of scripts that other people have done. But it wasn’t all the time that I was 100 percent happy with the way the stories came out. So, I said to myself, if I do my story myself, it will have my DNA; it will be exactly what I had in mind. You know, when you are writing, you can see it. I don’t know if it happens to everybody. When I’m writing, I see it; it’s a moving picture. In my head, I can see what I’m writing. So, I told myself that, if I do it, then, it will be exactly what I had in mind. I would see exactly what I was creating when I was writing it. So, I decided to direct it. However, I didn’t just leave it there. I mean I didn’t just take up directing. I decided to actually get some technical knowledge because acting and directing are two totally different things. Actors are born; so, I have a natural talent that God gave me to act. But I don’t have a natural talent that God gave me to direct; so, I had to go to school to learn it. I went to the New York Film Academy and did a short course in Digital Filmmaking. So, that qualifies me to direct movies.
But was it also to make a statement in Nollywood that a woman can do it because it seems like it is a male-dominated turf?
Well, it’s not necessarily to make a statement that a woman can do it, but it is just to say I, Omoni Oboli, can do it. So, it doesn’t matter if I am a man or a woman. I can do it and I did it.
What was the most difficult part of doing this movie?
I think the most difficult part for me is the fact that I was producing, directing and acting at the same time. It’s a tough job. Tyler Perry does it; we look at his movies and we think, ‘Oh! This is a walk in the park’. When I did it, I wrote an article titled “Tyler Perry, my hero.” And, you know, he plays multiple roles as well, which I did. I played two roles in the movie and it was the craziest job in the world. And there were times I would look and say, ‘Who sent you? How did I get myself into this?’ But it was too late to go back. I did it and I’m happy I did it.
There is this notion that when you direct, produce and act, there is a tendency to flop, especially while acting. How true is it?
But I guess you are going to have to watch the movie and judge if I did well or not (laughs). But I don’t think that happened because, as I said, I love acting. No matter how tired I am, when you say ‘action’, I come alive. So, I don’t think my acting suffered in any way at all.
When is Being Mrs. Elliot finally going to the cinemas?
We are going to do a premiere on August 30, and we are releasing it next month.
I notice that you are a bit darker in complexion. Is it because of the movie too?
Really? I think I’m just tired. I’ve been running around a little too much. I guess I’ve not had time to pay attention to myself.
You said shooting the movie was tough. So, didn’t the ‘home front’ suffer for it?
There was no suffering. Everybody is fine. Everyone knows that I have to work. So, when mummy goes to work, everyone is fine and when mummy comes back, mummy is back. And what I try to do is give them a lot of quality time. It’s not just about spending time with them, but spending quality time.
When was the last time you went on a vacation as a family?
We just came back. We came back a couple of days before the presidential screening. We were on vacation for almost a month.
You’ve screened this movie at the presidency. But rather than get applauded for it, you got bashed for what you wore to the premiere. How does this make you feel?
We are getting a lot of applause as well. The most important thing is, a lot of people who matter are saying it was a great thing. It’s a great feat for the industry. People are calling me to say congratulations. This is a very good thing for Nollywood. To show you how some people can be very feeble-minded, instead of talking about the event, they are talking about the dress the person wore. That is just so trivial. I don’t know why some people like to trivialise things. I am sure you have seen the picture. There is nothing wrong with the dress. Maybe the angle of the picture that was sent was not a good angle or whatever, I don’t know. To me, it doesn’t really matter. The most important thing is that we’ve had a presidential screening and it’s a huge plus for the industry. The people who matter to me; my real family, my real friends, my real fans, know who I am and what I stand for.
We know Omoni Oboli not to appear in public scantily dressed. Why the choice of this dress, which is causing a lot of furore? And what is Mr. Oboli’s take on it?
I wasn’t scantily dressed. It’s a beautiful long dress. It’s a bit open in the front, but it doesn’t actually show any boobs or anything. Mr. Oboli and I bought the dress together. I actually tried it in the store. He saw it and said it was beautiful. That was the reason I bought it and that was why I wore it.
Given the furore it has caused, do you think it will discourage any other screening at the presidency?
Of course not! The president is not feeble-minded. They saw me that day. Nobody thought there was anything wrong with my dress. There were women everywhere. The Minister of Petroleum was there and she gave me a huge hug. She was so happy with everything. Nobody said anything about the dress. I mean, if you look at the actual pictures, there wasn’t actually anything wrong with it. I don’t think he’s feeble-minded to say, ‘Oh! Her dress was inappropriate, so we shouldn’t do any more screening.’ That doesn’t make any sense. I think we only have higher places to go in Nollywood.
Why exactly did you ditch your long beautiful weave?
I just wanted to do something different. So, I thought I should go back to my roots, which is what I’m doing and I love it.
Do you have contacts in your eyes?
It’s a question I never answer. There is a lot of controversy about my eyes and I want to keep it that way. I want to keep people guessing. I have people quarrelling in some family. One person is saying she’s not wearing any contacts, the other one is saying it’s not true. So, let me keep them guessing. At least, let them have one thing to talk about.
Despite the fact that you are in an industry that is bursting with energy, there is this calmness about you…
(Cuts in) I think I am who I am. Naturally, I am a home girl. That’s just the truth. I’m not a partygoer. There is nothing wrong with it, but it’s just not me. Even when I was single, it just wasn’t me. Once in a while, your friend might drag you to a night club or something; but even at that, after one hour, I’m tired. I feel like the music is too loud and I just want to go and watch a movie or read a book. So, it’s who I am. I’m naturally kind of laid-back. I’m extroverted and introverted at the same time. You can’t be in the entertainment industry and not be extroverted. But at the same time, I have my moment, where I just want to have a quiet time.
A lot of your colleagues do other businesses on the side. Is there anything you do on the side, apart from film?
I do a lot of things on the side, but they are not things I talk about in the press. Eventually, I might do stuff that I will want to talk about. But right now, I do a lot of businesses that I don’t publicise.
You’ve been pretty long in your marriage. What do you do to spice up your marriage?
Marriage is beautiful when you are married to your friend. So, we are friends and there is a God factor in our marriage as well. Both of us are strong believers; we are Christians. And we always make sure that, first of all, we will not do things that will hurt the other person. It doesn’t mean that we don’t disagree. There is no marriage that is perfect. We do have issues, but we resolve those issues because we’ve made up our minds that we are not going to get a divorce. So, when divorce is not an option, you must resolve whatever issues you have. When divorce is an option, that’s when you say irreconcilable differences. There are no differences that are irreconcilable. But when divorce is not an option, we try as much as possible to resolve all our issues. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being miserable.
What was the attraction when you met?
Personally, I think I fell in love with the way he loved me. He loved me unconditionally. I know it’s difficult for you to think that a human being can love another human being unconditionally. But he actually did.
How do you manage to keep trim, despite having three kids?
I would say diet and fitness. I’m not a fat person and I’m not going to lie about it. But after my last child, I was probably three or four sizes bigger than this. But I exercise, eat right and change my whole lifestyle. In science, less food and more exercises make weight loss.
