‘I receive some lashes of cane for coming late to rehearsals’ – Biodun Okeowo

Biodun Okeowo became known in the Yoruba movie industry with Tolani Osinrin in 2006 and ever since, the actress has feature in numerous movies. Biodun Okeowo has produced her own movies such as “Omo Butty”, “Ore” and most recently “Aturota”.
The CEO of Vicasho Films Production, in this chat with SAMUEL ABULUDE, speaks on her works, personality and love life.

What have you been up to?

I have been working though holidaying abroad. My movie Aturota is doing well and my fans are getting along with it. I have other works now and I’m hitting location anytime soon. Ore, a movie I produced last year has been doing well too. I’m not doing badly either. 2015 will be greater with other areas coming to a bigger space like Vicasho Wine & Spirit Store and my other interests which I will not divulge for now.

How is your movie Aturota?

It is great and the movie is gaining more momentum. A fan sent me a gift while in the United States and she said “this is just for your wonderful performance in this job and not any other film o!” That is great coming from someone outside Nigeria watching my movie. Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well. The movie was challenging and thanks to the producer, the director, and the marketer, for believing in me. And thanks to my fans and the media for pushing my works. Such gesture encourages us more so when at this time piracy is almost getting me discouraged. Not only me but all actors and movie producers in Nigeria.

You mean piracy has eaten deep into you actors and producer?

Yes of course! Piracy is discouraging us from not investing our money into movie production. We are not making money as we should. Marketers are bleeding financially and if marketers who finance most of our movies, particularly the Yoruba genre, are complaining, who are we the actors and actresses who get paid based on our movie popularity and performance in the market. Our government should do beyond what they are doing now. We are all fed up of this saga.

As someone long in the industry, how rewarding has it been for you?

I’ve been in this industry since 2006. Well, it has been more of good than bad for me. I thank God for the gift and opportunity to showcase my gift and to be appreciated by fans and well-wishers. There are a thousand and one actors out there and Biodun Okeowo is one of the hundreds that have her name on the lips of people and fans. It is a privilege in itself and I owe my fans that allegiance and promise not to let them down. Looking back to the time I started, it has not been all rosy. I started with Ray Eyiwunmi organisation as an apprentice. I spent couple of years there. As an apprentice there, I went for rehearsals, to locations. One thing is that I thank God it did not take long for me to hit limelight. Let’s just say I’m on the lucky side, But it’s not been rosy anyway.

What were the challenges you’ve had to face specifically?

My first challenge when I got into the industry was that I never knew that you had to start calling people you met aunty; you had to start treating them like demigods. I didn’t know, so when I got in I had to adjust and really behave myself because I was in a different world entirely. Another thing is going to rehearsals. If you get there late, it’s either you pay a certain amount of money as fine or you receive some lashes. At times they will not even take your money it’s the cane strokes that you will get because they realised that some girls would rather come late and pay some money than come early. So they sometimes refuse money and give you some strokes of the cane instead.

Again, as an apprentice, there are people who may probably be your age mates but they will call you and send you on an errand and you have to go. While running the errand sometimes, you begin to wonder what comes with the job. But you just have to do it if you must make headway. Another thing is you have to pretend. If for instance, I don’t like you, I just have to pretend like I like you, ko le je kin ri ona lo (so that I can move up).

Basically, you have to stomach so many things. So many challenges but as regards getting roles, I would say I’m somehow lucky because where I trained they don’t allow us to go to location you are not invited for. It’s a rule in the caucus. You can’t just go to any location because if you start attending locations you are not invited for, that’s when they will start to harass you unnecessarily. You know things like that. Before I started going out, I had done my first production that earned me a little respect. I get jobs. I don’t really have that problem of lobbying for jobs because that movie shot me into limelight. I get jobs also with the help of the press I will give it to them.

As a graduate of Communication Art, did you consider being a journalist or broadcaster rather than being an actress?

Well, I loved acting from childhood. I could remember then at my Primary School, I went to a public school; we would bring out chairs and start acting. And so also in church, I participated in church drama. When I went for Communication Art, I was at the LTV8 for my industrial attachment; I was always seeing actors, the likes of Yomi Fash Lanso, Fathia Balogun, Opeyemi Aiyeola, Bose Alao and several others. I was like this thing I can do it o. I wanted to go for Theatre Art or Law but my mom was like no o you can’t go for law, lawyers are cultists. We are Christians so you can’t do it. I opted for Theatre Art, but again she said no, they used to kill them so I said okay I would go for Mass Communication she then agreed. But LASU didn’t have Mass Communication so I went for Communication Art. While at LTV8 I told my Oga then Mr Agbesanwa that I wanted to act, and he exclaimed, ha! Acting! That work, ha! I don’t want to say all he said. But I thank God that now he’s proud of me. Anytime I run into him he’s always telling people, Victoria, don’t you know her? She did her IT here. Stuffs like that. And he would also say that he has not read any scandals about me that I should keep it up. 

There is this notion that for any actress to attain limelight she must date at least one marketer. How true is this?

I’m very sorry I wouldn’t want to go into marketers’ issue (laughs). Well, it’s a normal thing for a man to see a lady and admire her and want to date her and it’s also a normal thing for a woman to either accept or not. Only a devilish man will take it personal or take it as an offence for turning him down. So it’s a choice thing. It’s not like anybody is holding anyone to ransom. So I don’t know how true that notion is.