The first Yoruba and female to take over as the chairman, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Lagos state chapter, one of Nollywood’s most versatile, multiple award-winning actress, bold, plus-size queen, television host, voice-over artist and comedienne, who is famous for playing the comic ‘Mama Ajasco’ on the popular Papa Ajasco programme on television, Mojisola Oyetayo in an exclusive interview with Theresa Moses talks about the film industry, its challenges, homosexuality, positive impact of Covid-19 pandemic and lots more…..
What made you switch from photography to acting?
In life everything is not constant, there’s no constant career, there’s no constant decision and off course in Nigeria you will have to have multiply streams of income. From photography which is still in the industry, I just decided to switch to mainstream acting basically. I still practice photography but not with all of my passion, I have people that work for me.
How has it been being a plus size actress/model?
The average African woman is supposed to be curvy but off course in Nigeria, we follow what the white man does, we believe that we should be small, petite to be an actor but that’s not how it’s done all over the world. No size is specific to a career. You can be a plus size, undersize; it doesn’t really matter as long as you understand the trade and have what it takes. I know some people would say I wished you were smaller, some would say I like you but one thing is certain, if you do not need somebody that’s big, you will not call me. I dey my own lane, everybody dey him lane.
How have you been coping with body shaming and what’s your advice to anyone who has been subjected to body shaming on social media?
Am a very strong person, am really not someone that believes in body shaming. People do body shame but it’s not about what people think about you, it’s about what you think about yourself. So if you come on my page and say nasty things to me, I’d take it that you are speaking from the point of view that you’re exposed to. That’s your myopic thinking, that doesn’t define me. It’s like me looking at you and says you are dark. Does it make you dark, no. So basically, if you say anything to me that way, it doesn’t bother me. I love the way I am, am proud of my curves, I like the way I look. If you don’t like it, then just deal with it.
How has the journey been since you ventured into mainstream acting full time?
Slow and steady, I can’t really complain. I thank God. There’s still more to be done, more grounds to be broken still more jobs to be done and off course but it’s not been too bad. It’s been very ok.
Homosexuality in the industry, how true is this?
Ha! I’m not in that line so it might be difficult for me to say it doesn’t exist. But I know that we as Africans are evolving into different things and back in the days you couldn’t be a gay and come out and talk about it. But these days we see people saying these things. I’ve not been privileged to meet anyone like that or know anyone like that. So it will be unfair to say I know about it. But it’s not impossible that these things exist but off course I can’t attract someone like that because am not one. So there’s no way we have a conversation going to prove it. I dey hear ooo but I never see am, so I don’t know.
Memorable and embarrassing moments?
My memorable moments depend, is it my personal life or the industry? (Personal life) When I had my daughter was very memorable for me. Motherhood is something every woman wants to experience. I don’t really have any embarrassing moments because what you say might be embarrassing for me is practically a lifestyle. Like I go to the market and people scream eh eh eh, uku, uku, uku all this kind of things or when am walking down the road and someone screams and say this thing na real. These are basic everyday lifestyle that I face or sometimes you will enter the lift in the bank and they will be saying only one person at a time meanwhile na only me dey there. These are basic things to expect from a plus size woman. I don’t really see them as embarrassing, I see them as one of those things that person go see for life.
You are the first Yoruba and female to take over the leadership of AGN, Lagos state chapter, how has it been?
Very challenging, sometimes even overwhelming but so far, God has been faithful; people have been responding well to me. The leadership has not been so difficult but outside of that the stress wey there eh eh. The guild is peaceful, luckily for now we are united unlike before when we were in fractions. Now we are united, we all have the same views, the president is on top of his game, and he carries the chairmen along. So we are good. Everything has been the way it should be. In the beginning it was not but now we are fine. We will lead the boat, sail and anchor it in a very nice place.
How has Covid-19 pandemic affected your dreams, plans and goals for the year?
The Covid-19 pandemic was a worldwide global crisis. It was not restricted to just me or you. Naturally our aspiration for the year changed, our goals changed. What we have to do when things like this happen, you count your loss, go back to the timetable and start again from the beginning. What are we supposed to do, how far have we come and what is the next thing. Obviously with the rate, at which we are going in Nigeria now, we are facing out, they have opened churches, schools, so it’s just a matter of time and our industry will pick up again. And once it pick up again, we go back to the drawing board and remove some things that can’t definitely work for this year anymore. Then the once that can work for the year that we didn’t plan will be added. Because at this rate, e go hard ooo. Our industry really suffered. People didn’t understand how we really suffered. People don’t really have other means of income. Na wetin we dey do be this and we couldn’t. And off course social distancing could not work in our line of business. So it really affected us but right now I think we are going to be fine.
Post Covid-19, the new normal, how is it going to be?
The new normal is everywhere we go hand sanitizer, face mask, social distancing. We have to put all of that in our movies. When we are going back to work and apart from the crew, if you’re not really a relevant crew you shouldn’t be on set. The cast should learn to space. Meaning things will change. Now we do zoom meetings. Post Covid-19 is going to be ok. We are Africans and the African Nigerian mentality is that we know how to pick up from the scratch again. It’s not like the government does a lot for us anyway. So we will be fine. All we have to do is make sure we adhere to all the instructions, our environment is clean, we sanitize, fumigate, wear our face mask and we will be good because the Covid-19 is really real.
Nollywood is evolving, what are the challenges facing the industry?
Nollywood will always evolve and it will continue to evolve because Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is not how Nollywood was before, the Bollywood and Hollywood we all scream wasn’t like this in the beginning, they evolved, so naturally just a matter of time that we will get to where we are going. Right now we are going at a very fast speed just like the music industry. The challenges is that we do not have enough investors but I think with the rate at which we are going and coming in of Netflix, we are going to be opened up more on the international level and that will make us very great.
With the new normal, there’s a possibility that a whole lots of people will lose their job in the industry. Any plans for them?
We are not taking jobs away from people, what I mean is when we are shooting and you don’t have anything to do on set, you do not need to stay. Before when we are shooting, the lights is here, sound here etc but now there are some things we don’t need. For instance, if you set up your light you can go, if you put in your sound on my boom microphone, you don’t have to stay, you can stay outside. Se we are not going to take away jobs from anybody. We are just saying that we are going to be opening up more opportunities. I see us doing movies online like I can be here and shoot my Nigeria parts and my counterpart in America shoots on their own camera and then we edit. We are going there, is just a matter of time. We have been breaking international meetings during this Covid-19 times on zoom. I was in a zoom meeting yesterday with some people in India talking about the film festival that’s coming up. As if all of us were in a conference room but we were all in our different countries doing this meeting. It’s just a matter of time, we are going to be shooting movies from that angle very soon whether we like it or not. Instead of me to fly to America now to shoot I was in the plane, came down, picked up my bag etc, another person will just do that angle and edit. It’s all editing and that’s about it.
Post Covid-19 is going to be extremely interesting; it has already showed us a lot of things we can improve on in terms of technology wise. So we are just going to be investing in more technology, more digital cameras etc that will give us a soft landing. And as you rightly said, some people might lose their job but that’s still ok. They will also find their feet in another aspect. This period brought out a lot of gifts in many people. We saw so many comedians spring up, so many food sellers came up. Any time there’s a thing like this; there must be a shake up for you to find your feet. We never believed it will happen to us but it’s just you understanding the new industry and upgrading yourself in terms of advancement as regards equipment, technology, computers because that’s the new era we are entering whether we like it or not. It just remains to do a video with somebody, touch the person and he/she feels the touch.
What are your projections for the rest of the years for the chapter?
We do have some other projects we are working on but I’d rather nip it in the bud right now because am still trying to get sponsors and the last thing I want is to commit myself and be under pressure. The rest of the year cannot go like that; we would find activities to do.
How have you been able to cope with stardom/fame?
I do not believe that one person is superior to anybody. I believe in this world that we are all human beings are all equal. That you’re privileged to be on a certain pedestrian doesn’t mean that you’re superior. It’s just opportunity; everything in life can be taken from you without a blink. Covid-19 has proven to us that everything in life is material. At the drop of a pen, everything can go. Recently there was a blast in Lebanon, some people lost their lives, some lost their properties and that’s how life is. Before you say fem, everything is gone. So if you think you are more than what you are, at the end of the day you’re just dust. So I do not see myself to be superior to nobody or one gen gen person. I wave, play with everybody the way I should because at the end of the day, everybody is going to end six fit under the ground. That’s what’s up, so I always believe in live and let’s live!
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