Nollywood actress, Omowunmi Dada is one of the very few actresses on the cause of changing the perspective people have towards filmmakers.
Having featured in countless movies, soaps and stage plays; the theatre thespian isn’t stopping at giving her best at any given shot.
In this chat with OMONIYI ALLI, she spoke about her, career, challenges, why even marriage can’t stop her from acting amongst others
Q: I have watched you in movies and you are intentional about how you take up your role, how were you able to develop this passion?
A: I have always been passionate about art. I have always said that it’s not just about talent for me, it’s a ministry. I’m very intentional about the kind of scripts that I take on, the kind of stories that I’m part of.
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I turn down a lot of scripts but the truth is when you don’t know where you are going to, everywhere will look like the way but when you know where you are going to, from the beginning of your career, you channel your path and you are very intentional about it.
Sometimes it looks like, ‘what are you doing?’, but if you have a bigger picture in mind, you will definitely get there. Nothing good comes easy.
Q: So talking about script, what factor would make you reject a script?
A: If I don’t believe in the story, if I don’t like the script itself and don’t believe in what it is preaching, I will turn it down. This is not a shade to any producer or director but I know that day by day we are getting better and telling better stories.
Q: What of financial wise?
A: It’s talent, career, passion but it’s also a profession. You also have to make money out of it. If the money is not good but I believe in the story, I will take it because sometimes money is not everything. Leaving your name in the good sands of time is more important.
Q: As a leading brand, what do you stand for in the industry?
A: I stand strongly for professionalism, quality, discipline, integrity and consistency because at every particular time; keep working as nobody wants to work with a lazy actor
Q: Do you think it’s hard work that paved the way for you this far?
A: I always say that whatever you do, always give it your best because sometimes, it only takes one scene for someone to notice your good job for referral in projects you can never imagine in your life. Your success is in the hand of God and you.
Q: Which movie will you say shot you to limelight?
A: Well for me, the first time I was on TV was as a presenter in a Nigeria reality show for kids in 2008 but my first movie was an epic movie titled ‘ Oya’. I have featured in countless movies and soaps but the truth is so many people are yet to know me, and that is the truth that’s why I need to constantly give my best to all I do should in case anyone stumbles on me and be like awwww who is this person but sincerely I can’t pick on one exactly. But for every job I have done, I feel so honoured to do them all.
Q: Which are you more comfortable doing, TV presenting or acting?
A: For me, I am an all-round act; I can do any of the two perfectly.
Q: Don’t you think marriage can stop you from acting?
A: Hell No!!! Not even marriage can stop me from acting because I want to be old with all my grey hairs acting because this is what I am born to do. It gives 100% fulfilment.
Q: As an actor, which will you consider the most challenging role you have ever played?
A: I will say when I acted in the movie titled ‘Moremi’ where I played the role of a boxer. For me to be able to deliver on the role; I had to train as a boxer for two months. I equally just rounded up on a project with Ebonylife; there also I had to go all the way out to do research on the role and when we had the private screening some time ago and I saw a lot of people crying and I was so happy about what I did for myself with the role I played. For me as a brand, I don’t run away from challenges and hard work
Q: In the process of building your acting brand; what are some of the challenges you encountered?
A: The first challenge that I had as an actor was my stature. When I attended auditions back then, people usually told me, ”Oh you are very good and quite talented but unfortunately, you are small in stature.”
I used to be very skinny and I am still not big now so, my small stature posed a challenge. Even the colour of my skin was another major challenge. Sometimes, people would tell me that I am dark-skinned and they want a light-skinned person for a particular role but I am very happy that right now, filmmakers now look past the complexion of actors and the focus is now on talents and what you can bring to the table.
It’s now about what you’ve got inside of you, your level of discipline and your craft. Those were some of the things I had to deal with and I surmounted them. Of course, I love challenges and I love playing characters that enable me to be able to task myself. I don’t like to feature in movies with drab characters. The farther I am from a character, the more excited I am to conquer challenges.
Q: What dream role do you look forward to acting?
A: There are lots of dream roles but the most important for me at the moment is getting an action role call in a Hollywood movie.
Q: How will you define your style?
A: I would say comfortable, classy, and edgy.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I like to listen to music and sleep
