Nollywood
actress, Eniola Badmus, popularly called “Gbogbo Bigz girl”, has grown to
become a household name among movie lovers. The Theatre Arts graduate from the
University of Ibadan, in this interview with Adunola Oladapo, speaks on issues
bordering on her career and how her size has been an issue in the movie
industry.
Excerpts:
Can you tell us how your
journey into the movie industry started?
I can’t really say, but let
me say that my childhood prepared me for acting. I started acting from my
childhood days. I became very serious with it since my secondary school days, I
used to be in the school drama group, called Fellow, so basically I started
from there. As I grew up, I discovered I was falling more and more in love with
the profession so I decided to take it further by studying it, so I studied
Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan. I also have another degree in
Economics from the Lagos State University (LASU).
Was it the flair and the
fact that you acted in secondary school that made you put in for Theatre Arts
in the university?
Well no, not exactly. I
will say it was a second choice, because I’d wanted to study Law in the
university, but I could not meet up with cut-off mark, so my second choice was
Theatre Arts. Besides, I used to be a vocal person right from my childhood
days, so I think it was a great advantage for me in that area.
Ordinarily, I would have
studied Law because that was what my dad and family wanted me to study, but I
guessed fate played out and I missed the cut-off point for Law, so I settled
for my second choice.
So, it’s your parents’
desire that you become a lawyer?
Oh yes! I know and believe
that till date, my dad would have loved to see me become a lawyer, even my
siblings, because I am from a family of technocrats. Most of my siblings are
professionals like lawyers, doctors, engineers etc. So, they don’t like my
choice of career.
So, when you decided to
take up acting fully, what was your parents’ reaction?
Actually, when I started
acting, my father was against it, including my mother and everyone at home. In
fact, when I started fully, I didn’t tell them at home oh. I dare not. My dad
loves me but he is a great disciplinarian and I feared him. So, I couldn’t tell
them at home knowing they were all against that profession.
Why the objection to
acting? Did your family see it as a job for dropouts?
The fact is that I am from
a polygamous home, my parents live separately but see every other day. My
father would not condone his child not going to school and studying a good
course, because he believes that after graduating from school, you have to work
with your certificate as a technocrat, maybe as an engineer, lawyer, doctor.
I wouldn’t know if they see
acting as a career for drop-outs, but I know they detest the profession and not
for their daughter and siblings. But I really don’t care what they feel about
it or me, acting is my passion, my love and it’s a life I have chosen which
nobody can stop me from doing.
So, when you decided to
take up acting, did you and your dad quarrel?
Well, I won’t say we
quarrelled, but something like that happened; it was due to my mother who has a
soft spot for me, because I was the last born of my mum. So, if my dad is on my
neck in doing something he wants me to do, my mum was always like, don’t force
her to do what she is not willing to.
She really doesn’t like me
to be an actress though, but for peace to reign, she pleaded with my dad and it
was a big issue between them. I was doing it secretly, at times I will be on
location; they would think I was the in school, back then. It was really tough
between me and my dad in particular, but it’s my life and I chose my path.
So, you started acting
professionally when you were in the university?
Yes, that was when I was in
the University of Ibadan. I met a lot of guys, like Wale Ade and the rest of
them. So, back then, I started featuring in some movies, series but not to the
knowledge of my parents and siblings.
The first time your father
saw you in a movie, what was his reaction?
It was bad and funny and I can’t forget that day. My dad’s friends and probably
my siblings told my dad they saw me in films but my dad would say no, it can’t
be Eniola and that I was in the school. Occasionally, he would call me and ask
if it was true and I would say, oh, it was practicals that we did in school
since I was studying Theatre Arts, and that I didn’t know our lecturers would
put on movie stand for the public to watch. But katakata burst the day my mum
saw me herself.
Does that mean your father
doesn’t watch home movies?
He does, but he doesn’t know that I was into acting, because it is not
something we talked about. He was not aware of my intention of becoming an
actress and he never expected it. At a time, when they saw me and they told
him, he was like, maybe the person they saw looked like me, but can’t be me.
It
got to a point that he called me, and told me that people do tell him, that
they do see me on television, and I was like there was no place to hide or lie
anymore. I had to bring up a lie, which would back me up, and I told him that
it was a project in school, which we should conduct and I had to participate
in, maybe they decided to air it.
I can’t forget that memory
in my life. It was a bad day. My mum does not stay with my father, but she
comes almost every day. There was a day my mum came to the house and said she
wanted my father to watch a particular Yoruba movie. The movie was entitled:
100 years and it was shot in the year 2002. It was from that movie that they
started calling me OWE LE BANTU. My role in the movie was that of a hooligan
and we were caught up in trouble and someone came to rescue us, but it was
through a diabolical way. We were turned into a creature and then disappeared.
It was then that I knew my
parents were not enlightened because of the rancour it generated. My mum was
like ‘this is too spiritual, so diabolical, too fetish. Why will you guys turn
into something diabolically?’ I said no, it was just an effect, it was not
real. My father didn’t believe me. They were both like ‘I have started visiting
herbalists and spiritualists,’ they were just fuming and didn’t hear me out at
all.
Since then, when going back
to school, my dad would warn me that it was school he sent me and not to act .
But that didn’t stop me, rather the love and determination for acting became
stronger and I continued going for auditions and kept acting.
So, was it that day they
knew you to be acting professionally?
No, I still lied about it
to cover up.
Was there a point that your
parents threatened to disown you if you continued acting?
No, but my parents were
conscious of what I was doing in school. My dad used to say that I had
everything in this world, what else do I want. They love me, so there were no
threats but they just didn’t like my choice of profession at all.
How do they feel now,
especially now that they know and that you are a star?
I don’t see myself as a
star, except maybe when I act in Hollywood which is what Iam seriously aiming
at. Also, my family doesn’t see me as a star, I don’t get any special treatment
from them. In fact, they see me as nothing and just like one of them. This is
my first time of telling a journalist this. Whenever I am at home, they don’t
treat me as a star. They don’t make me feel great or good that I’m promoting
the family’s name, I‘m just like a nobody to them.
Including your dad?
I don’t know if he now likes
what I am doing or not because he doesn’t show it. In fact, he does not even
talk about my job at all, but I am sure he is proud of me, I just believe that
within me. My siblings don’t treat me like a star, or someone who is carrying
the family name high. They all relate with me as brothers and sisters, if they
want to do anything, like family meeting, etc, they do it even without me. I’m
just as normal as any human being can be with them. We are all equal.
With what you said, does
that mean your dad does not watch your movies?
Of course he does watch my
movies, because any movie I do, if I lay my hands on them, I pile them up and
take them to him, and he will say thank you.
Just thank you?
Yes, he does not commend
me. He has never commended or commented on any of my works, whether I did well
or not.
Does that make you feel sad
in a way?
No, not in anyway, I like
what I do, so if he’s not proud of me, good for him. I know he is proud, but he
has not said so. If I tell him that I will be travelling out of the country, he
will just say when you get there, call us. I have been trained to be an
independent person right from time, so I don’t really care what anybody feels.
But you feel proud when you
get cheers from your fans?
It is normal, when I get
the attention from my fans, I am always happy, but from my family, I don’t get
it, but I’m used to it already.
So, you started acting
professionally in what year?
Since 1999, I started quite
early. I think that is the reason my father and mother were against it. When I
think about it, I see it from that angle because I would not want my children
to start that early too. Yes, I had my education at an early age; in primary
school, I had double promotion about three times. Apart from school; we had a
lesson teacher who taught us then. It was all about you reading your books back
then.
Who introduced you to
acting?
Nobody. The interest was there, so I had my ears to the ground.
Tell us about your first
experience on set?
I was just there; I was
doing what I was asked to do. I was neither shy nor scared. I was just
determined and that was it.
How was acting with those
already in the industry, were you camera shy?
What really happened was
that I would just be looking at them, you know, observing everything around me.
There was a movie I did with Joke Silva, she was like a goddess
Culled from: Tribune
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