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| Genevieve Nnaji Gideon Okeke |
Rising actor and Tinsel star, Gideon
Okeke in this enchanting encounter has given reasons he cannot wait to pair
Nollywood poster girl, Genevieve Nnaji in a movie. He also confessed how Nnaji’s
eyes are constantly driving him crazy. Enjoy the sizzling hot chat.
You were at
Nollywood Movies Awards, what was your perception of the event as an award
platform?
To answer that question means that I
will shoot myself in the foot or get myself shot by someone else. Without bias
and a string of doubt, I have been to awards shows in this country and have
also watched some on TV, the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) still holds
the ace. What makes an award coveted? It is the fact that it is valuable to the
awardees; by way of organization, clout, reach and the platform it offers. I
was at the NMA to show support to my colleagues who were nominated particularly
O.C Ukeje. Undoubtedly, it has been O.C Ukeje’s big year. For me, it was a
night to also contribute to a thunderous applause for a guy who has worked so
hard. He has notched up about 10 to 12 years in the industry already and his
recognition is at its peak this year.
Having followed your
career for a while, one notices that you are not only audacious but also not
afraid to make your voice heard on any issue. How safe is it to make this
assumption?
Without wanting to sound rebellious, I
will like to borrow a word from Fela which says ‘the secret of life is to have
no fear.’ This interview is done during the week of Felabration. The businesses
we are in is not just talk but one of show and prove. And again, why wouldn’t I
let my voice be heard when it is my time and generation. So I will let my voice
be heard in my time. If I wasn’t in the generation of actors, then I would take
a back seat and chill until it is my turn. But today, it is my moment. Without
being proud, if you take a roll call of five leading characters on African TV,
my name will pop-up somewhere there. It tells me that it is my moment even as
much we will be diplomatic in the way we fight causes. We are poster boys of
the change we want to see today. However, credit must be given to our
predecessors for paving the way. The difference is that today, we have gotten
training in what we love to do. By way of training, one knows what better
things to expect and what to ask for. It is a subconscious thing for me. People
expect you to carry on even when things aren’t right. No, it has to be right
for us to proceed because my job is to make things believable. My job is in the
realism that I project. When things aren’t going right in the industry, it
starts with a voice before the change comes.
You were once quoted as
criticising some aspects of Tinsel whose producers are your employers and there
were fears that your audacity will boomerang on you, how did you manage to wade
through that episode?
Let’s also say that I think I have got
proper covering from above (God). Who am I at the end of the day? I am very,
very dispensable. This is an issue I wouldn’t want to discuss. But not talking
about it will further shroud it with some air of curiosity. I addressed
it in the time that I was misquoted. Let me tell you what really happened. I
walked out of church one day and about six or seven girls accosted me and
prodded me with questions concerning aspects of the show like storyline, plot
etc And the more I try to defend our collective effort (of the production team),
the more they made me realize that they (the viewers) were smarter than whom we
think they are. In that moment, I think my exuberance kicked in and here is
what I twitted “blah blah blah, you guys are actually smarter than what you
think they really are.” Next thing, the bloggers feasted on it to drive traffic
for their websites. I still have what I said on my timeline, I was simply
misquoted. I guess the fact that it didn’t blow over was the proof that I
didn’t go over board to fire any department in particular. It was just that at
the time, my exuberance didn’t allow me to defend our (production team’s)
collective effort. That went that way and I learnt my lessons; you don’t piss
where you sleep or eat. Not just me, everybody learnt from that. It kind of made
things a lot better. I was unfairly quoted and someone almost took food out of
my mouth. That is why I said earlier that I had proper covering from above. Who
am I anyway? The producers could get another guy in here and the show will
still go on very well. I am not the best here. I just try to do my job like
everybody else.
You have spent almost
seven years on Tinsel and we have seen many cast being changed from time to
time, what would you say is the secret of your longevity?
Well some things are probably created for
some people. Now, I am talking with my spiritual eye or angle. I have always
wanted to act and be on TV. I waited for two years and decided not to go into
‘mainstream’ by that I mean Nollywood. After coming out of Big Brother, I didn’t
get any job. I always wanted to act but the platform did not present
itself. I didn’t think of going into Nollywood because I always asked
myself, ‘do you think you fit in there?’ ‘Do you think it is made for you and
you made it?’Square pegs, round holes. Yes it is an industry and it will give
you job. ‘But do you fit into it as a genre or its demography?’ The answer to
all that is no! We all are not made to chart the same course. People are cut
out for different things. Tinsel is my nursery and playground. It doesn’t say
that this is where it starts and ends. This is where I come every day to grind
the mill, oil myself and get better because I work with some really talented
people. Before I come to work, I research and try to stay ahead of everyone
else here whether I read my script or not. I want to be seen. My mission is not
really to upstage anyone. You must notice this guy. You must see this kid. The
more I serve here, I believe that one day will be my moment. One day, we will
gather and say yes this guy deserves it; give him applause. That is probably
why I think someone said let’s give him a chance again, it seems like he is
ready to go.
How many years
altogether?
I have spent six years altogether on
Tinsel but seven years in the industry.
Are you saying that from
the onset, you never saw yourself as a ‘Nollywood actor’?
Not necessarily. For me it was about
platforms and the only one that was more popular is the mainstream or Nollywood
if you like. I told myself that if you go in there, you will stand out like a
sore thumb and after a while, you might not get yourself a belonging. Let’s
check it out, how many people in the mainstream speak straight, proper English?
When Dakore came on the scene (and I hate that I have to mention names), the
reaction was ‘Oh my God she speaks so well!’ I was blown away by her command of
the language. As a student of acting, I watch actors not movies. We noticed
Dakore and you can tell that she stands out for this in Nollywood. And that is
my aspiration as an individual, to always stand out.
Have you been in the
habit of rejecting scripts in Nollywood?
To be honest, I’ve been offered a few but
I haven’t engaged it because I felt that the screenplay didn’t give enough
juice. I will do a movie for the juice not for the money. Then if I am doing it
for the money, you should come with your 10 strong and upwards. We’ll all know
that Gideon is doing this for the money. But juice is what inspires me to go
and that has really happened. I have seen some really nice scripts but I have
just not been inspired to go. Sometimes you see some really nice story but with
no funds to give it that push. It is a funny situation.
Are there any actresses
you look forward to being paired with?
The day anybody puts me against Genevieve,
that person is about to make some cool money because I will kill it. And she
will kill it too.
Why do you say so?
She is awesome. There are things her eyes
does that I am not sure that she knows herself. She has got eyes that speak. I
will repeat it again that anybody that pitches me against Genevieve in any
movie is about to make some money and such person better be ready to spend some
money too.
Are you friends with
Genevieve?
We are just acquaintances. We exchange
pleasantries whenever we see. You know how game recognizes game. But I admire
her work and her person. I also admire the fact that she is on hiatus. She has
been able to hold her power and not sell it or allow mainstream abuse it. The
power of restraint, the power to say no is what every actor needs as they climb
up the ladder. Genevieve is one. Nse Ikpe-Etim is one too. I have worked
alongside her, she is great and awesome. Dakore as well. I was going to do my
first project with her in 2006 but it didn’t work. Omoni Oboli too; I love her
all the time. She is like a sister to me. Uru Eke too; she is someone I would
like to be in the same picture with. I also love to work with some other up and
coming artistes out there.
You are single and
so is Genevieve, is there any chance of anything personal beyond just
professional respect?
I am just saying. What I said is very
audacious. I dare any producer out there. Put me against Genevieve and you are
about to make some big money. I will like to add Kate Henshaw to that list. I
say Genevieve because we are in the same range because there is no age in
acting. For instance, I can play between ages 25 to 35. I have seen her work
and have made mental notes countless times.
Do actors crush on each
other?
Of course, it happens. Why I keep hammering
on the name Genevieve is that, she understands stillness. Same goes for Nse. We
are taughht in acting school that from out of stillness comes action. Before
action, you have to be still. This sound text bookish but that is what they
teach us. Why I would admit to having a crush on her is because what I have is
a professional crush. She knows her onions. She is like a big masquerade;
before the masquerade
Whenever the name
Genevieve pops up, what comes next is Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and the rivalry
has gone unabated. Let’s have your opinion on this
That is a very sensitive place to go. In
between them, I am just a baby. When you check their time, the two together
have put in nothing less than 30 years into acting. Individually, I am just a
baby between them. I understand there is a thing between them but that is not a
place I want to go.
By FEMI SALAWU
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