By Emmanuel Peters
Nollywood has come a long way and is closer now to Hollywood than ever before. Since its first video film, “Living in Bondage”, it has evolved from paltry budgets, hasty and badly executed scripts, and poor technology to considerably high quality films with an impressive budget and creative input. This evolution is in line with critical reviews and the informed tastes of a more exposed audience. Over the last decade, stakeholders in the industry have read the trend correctly and have successfully reinvented their art and business to herald what is now referred to as the new Nollywood.
The emergence of this new Nollywood also complements the rise of a new breed of very cosmopolitan, talented, personable, and trained actors and actresses on the set. Their interpretation of characters on set is as engaging as their sophisticated looks, and one is equally impressed on meeting them up close. Merge Inner Light crew caught up with one these bright lights of the new Hollywood, namely, DeyemiOkanlawon and the ensuing conversation was quite insightful:
Q: You worked as a marketing executive, when and why did you decide to go into full time acting?
A: My first film was in 2010. I had auditioned and gotten a role which led to another and another until one day in 2013, I had two major offers, took one and never looked back.
Q: How challenging was it breaking into the limelight in the Nigerian movie industry?
A: I never tried to break into the proverbial limelight. My focus has always been and still is to hone my skill to the point where my performance commands attention.
Q: Which do you consider you best two movies so far?
A: I honestly can’t think of any film or set of films I’ll classify as my best so far – I am so careful about selecting each movie that I always have an amazing time with each character I play and story I accept.
Q: Do you think actors are born or made through training?
A: Good actors are born with the innate ability or quirk that allows them to exist as two distinct individuals (the actor and the character) at the same instance. Great actors are made, they are good actors who go the extra mile to hone their craft into near perfection such that you cannot see those two distinct individuals.
Q: What formal acting training have you undergone and how has it impacted your performance so far?
A: I was in church drama for over 10 years, studied acting for film at the NYFA-Delyork training and have taken multiple private lessons, read and consumed tons of acting and acting-related books and videos online. The best judge of the impact on my performance are audiences not me.
Q: Any special technique or style you want to talk about?
A: I’m not particular about any, I use any acting style or technique that best suit the story, character and situation.
Q: Your performance in Blink was very captivating, do you think you have a special talent for such roles that explore conflicted personalities?
A: Every human is flawed and conflicted to varying degrees, I believe I’m gifted at portraying this.
Q: How are you able to interpret such fringe characters so vividly?
A: First of all I’m deeply passionate about acting and storytelling via performance. Secondly I am committed to excellence and hold myself to the highest professional standards. Lastly I fully immerse myself whatever character I play and at the moment you come across a role I have taken on, whether on screen or stage, you are actually experiencing an entirely different person.
Q: Do you often draw from your experience to add context to your acting?
A: I am quite an observant person and I’m a good listener and an avid reader so I’m able to draw from personalities and experiences I come across whether it me my experience, experiences of others or even imaginary or fictional experiences.
Q: What project are you working on now?
A: I wear quite a few hats at the moment. Apart from acting I’m also a writer, director and producer. However my primary focus at this time, as the head of distribution for Nollywood movies at Silverbird Distribution, is to see our movies get the best distribution and marketing service that ensures their success in theatres and beyond.
Q: Any special skills you possess like martial arts, musical skills etc?
A: I have basic shotokan karate skills, I play a little guitar and I ride power bikes.
Q: Any particular hobbies or pastime?
A: I love to read a lot, swim and work out.