‘My husband proposed to me in two weeks’ – Omoni Oboli

In a very short time, Omoni Oboli has become one
of the most prominent names in Nollywood
scoring major roles in chart-topping movies like
'Figurine' and 'Anchor Baby'. A wife, mother and
a gifted writer, Oboli can be described as one of the
acts that have brought a breath of fresh air to
Nollywood. She chats with Nigerian Entertainment
Today on marriage, children and career.
How would you describe your journey
through Nollywood?
My journey has been similar to any other person's
journey that is aspiring to excel in whatever field of
endeavour. I started from the bottom and worked
my way up, and I am still working my way up to
personal heights that I know is possible, and by the
grace of God will be accomplished in my lifetime. I
started in 1996 and had a 10 year break to finish
my university education, get married, and have all
my children before I came back into the game. I
have had to start from the beginning twice in this
industry as the new girl in town. It's one of those
things many people have to go through and I am
grateful to God that I am able to rise to the
occasion to be where I am today. My journey has
been good, but has been saddled with all the
trimmings that have served to strengthen my
resolve to keep pressing towards my ultimate goal
and to help others reach there faster than I did.
Tell us about your first onscreen experience?
I was a 'waka pass' in my first experience. I played
a secretary in one movie and Liz Benson's maid in
another movie, 'Shame'. For me, any role was
better than no role. I was too excited to be in the
movies to worry about what role I played, and I was
protected then by the producers and actors who
saw my talent and were all too willing to give me
the chance I needed to get ahead in the industry. I
remember Opa Williams always making sure that
I was okay and that I wasn't being harassed by
anyone. Those early days were just fun and goofing
around for me. I was just passionate about being in
the movies and when Fidelis Duker gave me the
lead role in two of his movies, 'Not my Will' and
'Destined to Die', I was elated. This opened the
door for Hilda Dokubo to give me the lead in her
own production, 'Another campus tale'. I wonder
where those movies are now? I would love to have
a copy myself.
You studied French Language, what
prompted your becoming an actress?
I think your question should be the other way
round. Many people who knew me back then are
still wondering why I chose French, because what I
was known for was acting and directing and writing
plays in the church in school plays and in the
French club where I was the head of all those clubs
back then in my secondary school. Acting started
even before my primary school at the age of 3. I
have always known acting and wanted to do it as
long as I can remember so the prompting was
really to study French which I felt didn't just come
naturally with me because you had to study it to
know it well or live in a French country to properly
communicate in it. So I studied French with my eye
fully on acting.
Do you sometimes regret the years that you
took a break from movies?
Not really. Considering what I got from the years I
left, I wouldn't trade my education, husband and
my children for anything. Every other thing can
wait but these blessings do not wait for you. It's
the grace of God, and I'm grateful to Him for giving
me the wisdom to grab them when I had the
chance. No regrets for me there, but just
gratefulness!
Which of your characters has been the most
challenging and why?
All my characters have been challenging in the
light of the fact that I choose scripts that challenge
me, most of the time. They all have their
challenges and are incomparable to each other.
What do you look out for in a script while
deciding to do a movie or not?
Firstly, it must be well written with good dialogue
and plots. Then I look at the role I'm asked to play
in the movie to see how significant it is in the
story. I don't want to play a role that seems like an
afterthought and if taken out of the story wouldn't
change the entertaining value of the story. Then I
like to know the mind and vision of the producer
and see how far he or she wants to take the movie.
If the producer has small dreams and wants to
embark on a massive project without the
necessary understanding of the nature of his
project, I might not feature in it even if it's a great
script. If the producer wants to do a small project
and addresses it as such, I may be more inclined to
take the role than the one who might mess up the
movie because of lack of vision. I like to add value
to a production and I will give my 110% to any
work I'm involved in as long as the producer and I
are on the same page.
What was growing up like for you?
It was fun and carefree, because there was a lot of
love in the home I grew up in with my mum and
sister. I lived in the then Delta Steel Company
(DSC) complex, which was a haven where I got a
great education and lived a pleasant lifestyle even
though we weren't rich. The memories of growing
up were mostly pleasant for me. DSC is not the
same as it was then anymore.
Have you ever been judged by a fan based
on a particular role you played?
I haven't run into a fan who took my role in the
movie too seriously to attack me yet, thank God,
but I have had many people tell me that they
watched me in the Emem Isong production,
'Sweet Tomorrow', and thought I was a very wicked
person until they met me in real life. After the
movie, 'Anchor Baby', many people came out of the
cinema halls and couldn't talk to me because they
were so upset, while others were too excited to see
me because it gave them such relief. I won't tell
you why, so go and grab your copy and find out for
yourself.
How did you meet your husband and what's
your love story?
I met him when I first started acting in Lagos in
1996, but just for about a few minutes. He later
found me four years later in my final year and we
started dating. He proposed to me two weeks into
our relationship and the rest is history. There's a
great love story there somewhere. (Laughs) He
must have rocked my world to the point of me
saying yes, because I was just 21 years old! Many
felt I was too young, but I thank God that their
opinion didn't sway my decision.
How are you always quick to flaunt your
husband when many of your colleagues
would try to remain private with their spouse
that isn't a celebrity?
I don't see it as flaunting. My husband is also my
best friend and I can't imagine going to functions
without my best friend, so we are always together.
Everyone has what works for them, and my
colleagues don't have to be seen with their
husbands to show that their marriages work or not.
That's their decision, but mine is what it is and we
like it that way. It doesn't make the husband who
doesn't like being seen publicly with his celebrity
wife a bad husband, and it doesn't follow that the
best marriages are the ones that flaunt their
husbands, but mine works for me.
Omoni Oboli and her husband Nnamdi
You have been together for 13years, what do
you always say to couples having problems
in their marriages?
Change your focus from yourself to God and your
spouse and communicate with each other so that
things don't get out of hand because of things
unsaid. Many problems in marriage come from the
selfishness of wanting to gratify only our needs
without weighing the effects of those desires on
the relationship. Sacrifices keep us from taking the
wrong step and making the irreparable decisions
that end marriages so make them when it is in
your power to do so for the sake of the spouse you
swore to love and cherish, in sickness and in
health, for richer or poorer, till death do you part.
Omoni Oboli and her three sons
How do you cope with motherhood and being
a wife when you need to be at a movie
location?
I have help! My children are big boys and my
husband handles things when I'm not around. He
also throws his hands in the air whenever I'm
around. (Laughs) Once I step into the house,
anything that's needed to be done in the home
goes to mummy. With God all things are possible,
and the foundation of our home is in Christ, so we
make it work for us and God gives us the grace.
What has been your proudest moment in
your career?
Winning the Best Actress at two international
awards that were not organised by Nigerians and
Africans for the movie, 'Anchor Baby', at the
Harlem International Film Festival and the Los
Angeles Movie Awards. I was competing with
moviemakers and actors from around the world
and I won. That was incredible. It shows how when
we are dedicated to doing what we love to do and
are diligent in doing it we get the recognition we
deserve from places we least expect.
What is your average fee for a movie?
I get well paid for my roles in the movies. In this
age of kidnapping, do we still answer these
questions? Anyway, we are still aspiring to reach
the heights our colleagues in Hollywood and
Bollywood have attained.
Nollywood at 20, what is your assessment of
the industry?
It has come a long way and I'm so proud of what
has been achieved so far by many producers,
actors, directors and marketers of the brand,
Nollywood. We are still aspiring to greater heights
and we will get there, but right now we are simply
enjoying the journey. Great movies are slated to
light up our screens this coming 2014, and I can't
wait to see the impact on the viewing public. The
proper understanding of the right direction should
be sort for to keep us on track towards our desired
destination so that we don't lose focus on the prize.
Watch some of the old movies and compare them
to the likes of 'Figurine', 'Ije', 'Confusion Na Wa',
'Anchor Baby', 'Last Flight to Abuja', 'The Meeting',
'I'll Take My Chances' and many other great titles
that we have seen so far and many others about to
be released and you can tell there is hope for the
future of Nollywood. Many beautiful actors have
sprung up like Uru Eke, Beverly Naya, Alex
Ekubo, Blossom, OC Ukeje and many others
who have given us great performances with the
hunger for more. The industry has grown in leaps
and bounds and is still pushing to conquer more
territories. We should thank God and also applaud
the efforts that have been put in place and the
persistence that has brought us thus far.
What are some of the changes you would
like to see in Nollywood?
The biggest change I would like to see is the
growth in the viewership, which in turn brings the
desired revenue into the industry that would drive
the quality of the content we produce. This cycle is
what continues to expand and raise the quality of
the productions to the level that the viewers want
it to be. It can't be achieved without the necessary
patronage. It's not easy to keep producing great
movies without the necessary returns on
investment. When the returns on investment are
there the expertise to produce better productions
will come because the industry will be able to pay
the bills for them, but until then the best
productions will be few and far between. I also pray
that the audience will demand the original copies
of these movies and stop the piracy of people's
works.
From acting, you have stepped up to
producing and directing. How did that
progression happen for you?
I've been producing since 2007, when I produced
my first movie, 'The Rivals', in partnership with
Blessing Egbe. The movie went on to win the
Best International Drama at the New York
International Independent Film and Video Festival
that year. I'm currently in postproduction of my
movie, 'Being Mrs Elliott', which promises to be
very entertaining. It also features Majid Michel, AY,
Lepacious Bose, Uru Eke, Chika Chukwu, Seun
Akindele, Bishop and many others. It is my
directorial debut. Watch out for it!
How would you describe yourself?
I'm a wife, mother, actress, producer, director and
screenwriter. I'm a simple girl who keeps things
simple, because life is complicated enough as it is,
so why add to it. My husband says that the only
drama I display is on the screen. I like to keep it
that way.
Do you sometimes feel the urge to venture
into stage?
No, not really. I might try it again later. I did a lot of
it while in secondary school and I like it too, but my
first love is for the movies.
What else are you working on that your fans
should be looking out for?
I have a couple of movies coming out this year;
'Feathered Dreams', a Ukrainian movie production,
'Brother's Keeper', produced by Oakfil and
directed by Ikechukwu Onyeka, 'Deep Inside',
produced and directed by Lancelot Odua
Imasuen, 'Render to Caesar', produced by
Desmond Ovbiagele, 'Blue Flames', produced
and directed by Paul Apel (Papel). These would
delight all my fans and others who want to see my
movies.

Sent From David Aniemeka