Yoruba actress, Biodun Okeowo, tells ’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO about her career and life
Why are you called Tolani Osinrin?
I produced a movie titled Tolani Osinrin and somehow, the title took over my name. The movie was even my first production.
Did you start as a producer?
No. I started as an apprentice.
What do you mean by ‘an apprentice’?
It is usually done in the Yoruba movie industry. When you want to come into the industry, you have to be under somebody and undergo some form of training. The same year that I was under apprenticeship was the same year I produced my first movie.
So you didn’t play the role of a Waka pass as an apprentice?
No. I don’t think I was a Waka pass. I am so lucky. I played a scene in my first appearance in a movie. Waka pass is just half a scene. You don’t even get to talk.
When did you come into the industry?
It should be six years ago. Since then, I have produced seven other movies.
Don’t you want to be a part of the English film sector, or is it that you have not been invited to join them?
I have not received any invitation to feature in their movies and at this stage; I don’t think I can go for auditions. If I am invited, I will gladly join them.
Why not produce a movie and invite them, must you produce only Yoruba movies?
It is like venturing into a business I know nothing about. I don’t even know how much an Ini Edo or Emeka Ike or Desmond Elliot will charge me to be in my movie. But now that you mentioned it, I might give the idea a thought.
Talking about fees, we hear that in your industry, the actors don’t charge, rather, they pay back by featuring in one another’s movies…
Well, there used to be something like that. But such thing doesn’t happen anymore. If we had continued like that, I would not be making ends meet. We wouldn’t be able to take care of our families, fuel our cars and do some other things. If I work for you, at that particular time, I might need the money to solve some issues. When you don’t pay me, where will I get the money to solve those issues? We found out that such technique wasn’t helping us so we had to stop. Now, if you call me, I charge you.
Even at that, your fees are so cheap…
We cannot stoop so low to take N10,000 even for just a scene. Will such money fuel my car? However, it depends on packaging and also, it depends on the individual. There are some people who don’t want to collect money. All they care is just to be in a movie so that their faces will be seen. Such people have other means of income. They don’t have passion for the job.
So you have such people in your industry?
Oh yes. I wouldn’t call them actresses. They are just there to increase their ‘clients’. They feel that being an actress will get them more customers. They have no name to protect. The screen is enough advertisement for them. This is killing us the professional actresses. These are the people who will even pay a producer to be in his movie.
So is it just acting that pays your bills?
No. I am into other businesses. I have a wine shop. I want to open a beauty parlour as well. I know it will fetch me more money.
At what point did you become a mother?
I had my two kids before I came into the industry. My second child was almost four years then. I wasn’t an established actress then.
You are still not married?
No, I am not yet. I am not even bothered that I am not married. My kids are wonderful and I am okay. I don’t even remember that I am not married. Anybody that wants to marry me must marry my kids first. They come first in my life.
You must have been very young when you had those kids?
I wasn’t really that young. But I wasn’t up to 24. It was even before I got into the university.
Were the pregnancies by mistake?
Okay, I have never really said this publicly. It wasn’t by choice, it was a mistake actually. You know that girls can do all things when they feel they are in sort of love. I got pregnant the first time and my family was stunned. They insisted that I must go to school. I have to thank my mother because she was the one that took care of the baby so that I could go to school. I was warned severely not to get into any ‘trouble’ again. They told me that I should face my studies.
But you still got pregnant again after that?
Yes. I wouldn’t say I was stubborn. I would sneak back and meet my boyfriend. That was how I got pregnant again.
Are you saying the two kids have the same father?
Yes. I used to be in love with him.
Why didn’t you marry him?
No, the question should be the other way round. He was the one that didn’t marry me.
Why?
Maybe he wasn’t ready to be tied down to a woman. We stayed together for more than a year and we never got married.
So where is he now?
He is now married but I am not married.
Do you feel bad that he didn’t marry you?
No. The only thing that made me feel bad the day I heard he was married was because this was a guy my parents begged to come and pay my bride price but he didn’t budge. I felt bad that he could easily and readily get married without any hassle. I have never regretted not marrying him. Looking back, I would even say thank God that I wasn’t tied down to him.
So who is taking care of the kids?
Me. Solely!
Don’t you want him to help out?
Of course I would want him to help out. It is not easy being a single mother and taking on the responsibilities of a man. It is better I talk now than to hide things because I am an actress. He doesn’t contribute in anyway. We talk, may be three times in a year.
What if he eventually comes back to claim his children?
Then he must pay me all I have spent on them and I am sure I have spent nothing less than N20m on my kids.
Do you wish to get married?
I wish so. It is God’s will. If He wants me to, I will.
Have you thought of having another child?
Ha! Not again o. Certainly not outside wedlock! I can’t afford to make more mistakes. I was naïve back then. Now, I am a woman. I wouldn’t want to get married and rush out again.
You have spent six years in the industry but you have had some scandals trailing you.
I agree.
We learnt you are in a relationship with Pasuma…
I have never dated Pasuma. I have never had any sexual relationship with him. He is my colleague. He is my brother and that ends there. I found the story so stupid.
It is always in the news that your colleagues fight over men, are you a part of that?
No way. Let me tell you, in my industry, they call me a pretender. That is simply because I will not ‘eat’ where you are ‘eating’. There can never be an issue of me taking another person’s boyfriend.
Who are you dating now?
Do you really expect me to tell you? Don’t worry, I will tell you later.
You love wearing skimpy things.
Yes. It is not as if I have great legs. It is just that I don’t like showing off my upper region, I would rather expose my legs.
How do you manage men?
No man can ever take advantage of me. I will not date a man because of his money. I date a man because I like him even if he is a pauper. No man will say he will take advantage of me because he is at the top.
Yoruba actress, Biodun Okeowo, tells ’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO about her career and life
Why are you called Tolani Osinrin?
I produced a movie titled Tolani Osinrin and somehow, the title took over my name. The movie was even my first production.
Did you start as a producer?
No. I started as an apprentice.
What do you mean by ‘an apprentice’?
It is usually done in the Yoruba movie industry. When you want to come into the industry, you have to be under somebody and undergo some form of training. The same year that I was under apprenticeship was the same year I produced my first movie.
So you didn’t play the role of a Waka pass as an apprentice?
No. I don’t think I was a Waka pass. I am so lucky. I played a scene in my first appearance in a movie. Waka pass is just half a scene. You don’t even get to talk.
When did you come into the industry?
It should be six years ago. Since then, I have produced seven other movies.
Don’t you want to be a part of the English film sector, or is it that you have not been invited to join them?
I have not received any invitation to feature in their movies and at this stage; I don’t think I can go for auditions. If I am invited, I will gladly join them.
Why not produce a movie and invite them, must you produce only Yoruba movies?
It is like venturing into a business I know nothing about. I don’t even know how much an Ini Edo or Emeka Ike or Desmond Elliot will charge me to be in my movie. But now that you mentioned it, I might give the idea a thought.
Talking about fees, we hear that in your industry, the actors don’t charge, rather, they pay back by featuring in one another’s movies…
Well, there used to be something like that. But such thing doesn’t happen anymore. If we had continued like that, I would not be making ends meet. We wouldn’t be able to take care of our families, fuel our cars and do some other things. If I work for you, at that particular time, I might need the money to solve some issues. When you don’t pay me, where will I get the money to solve those issues? We found out that such technique wasn’t helping us so we had to stop. Now, if you call me, I charge you.
Even at that, your fees are so cheap…
We cannot stoop so low to take N10,000 even for just a scene. Will such money fuel my car? However, it depends on packaging and also, it depends on the individual. There are some people who don’t want to collect money. All they care is just to be in a movie so that their faces will be seen. Such people have other means of income. They don’t have passion for the job.
So you have such people in your industry?
Oh yes. I wouldn’t call them actresses. They are just there to increase their ‘clients’. They feel that being an actress will get them more customers. They have no name to protect. The screen is enough advertisement for them. This is killing us the professional actresses. These are the people who will even pay a producer to be in his movie.
So is it just acting that pays your bills?
No. I am into other businesses. I have a wine shop. I want to open a beauty parlour as well. I know it will fetch me more money.
At what point did you become a mother?
I had my two kids before I came into the industry. My second child was almost four years then. I wasn’t an established actress then.
You are still not married?
No, I am not yet. I am not even bothered that I am not married. My kids are wonderful and I am okay. I don’t even remember that I am not married. Anybody that wants to marry me must marry my kids first. They come first in my life.
You must have been very young when you had those kids?
I wasn’t really that young. But I wasn’t up to 24. It was even before I got into the university.
Were the pregnancies by mistake?
Okay, I have never really said this publicly. It wasn’t by choice, it was a mistake actually. You know that girls can do all things when they feel they are in sort of love. I got pregnant the first time and my family was stunned. They insisted that I must go to school. I have to thank my mother because she was the one that took care of the baby so that I could go to school. I was warned severely not to get into any ‘trouble’ again. They told me that I should face my studies.
But you still got pregnant again after that?
Yes. I wouldn’t say I was stubborn. I would sneak back and meet my boyfriend. That was how I got pregnant again.
Are you saying the two kids have the same father?
Yes. I used to be in love with him.
Why didn’t you marry him?
No, the question should be the other way round. He was the one that didn’t marry me.
Why?
Maybe he wasn’t ready to be tied down to a woman. We stayed together for more than a year and we never got married.
So where is he now?
He is now married but I am not married.
Do you feel bad that he didn’t marry you?
No. The only thing that made me feel bad the day I heard he was married was because this was a guy my parents begged to come and pay my bride price but he didn’t budge. I felt bad that he could easily and readily get married without any hassle. I have never regretted not marrying him. Looking back, I would even say thank God that I wasn’t tied down to him.
So who is taking care of the kids?
Me. Solely!
Don’t you want him to help out?
Of course I would want him to help out. It is not easy being a single mother and taking on the responsibilities of a man. It is better I talk now than to hide things because I am an actress. He doesn’t contribute in anyway. We talk, may be three times in a year.
What if he eventually comes back to claim his children?
Then he must pay me all I have spent on them and I am sure I have spent nothing less than N20m on my kids.
Do you wish to get married?
I wish so. It is God’s will. If He wants me to, I will.
Have you thought of having another child?
Ha! Not again o. Certainly not outside wedlock! I can’t afford to make more mistakes. I was naïve back then. Now, I am a woman. I wouldn’t want to get married and rush out again.
You have spent six years in the industry but you have had some scandals trailing you.
I agree.
We learnt you are in a relationship with Pasuma…
I have never dated Pasuma. I have never had any sexual relationship with him. He is my colleague. He is my brother and that ends there. I found the story so stupid.
It is always in the news that your colleagues fight over men, are you a part of that?
No way. Let me tell you, in my industry, they call me a pretender. That is simply because I will not ‘eat’ where you are ‘eating’. There can never be an issue of me taking another person’s boyfriend.
Who are you dating now?
Do you really expect me to tell you? Don’t worry, I will tell you later.
You love wearing skimpy things.
Yes. It is not as if I have great legs. It is just that I don’t like showing off my upper region, I would rather expose my legs.
How do you manage men?
No man can ever take advantage of me. I will not date a man because of his money. I date a man because I like him even if he is a pauper. No man will say he will take advantage of me because he is at the top
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