ANCHOR BABY IS ME - Omoni Oboli

She is not a really a regular face in on our screen, but she has been part of all the big bujet movies for this year. The prolific actress when caught up with spoke about her new film ‘Anchor Baby’, her back ground and the most important things in her life while growing Excepts…
You won the sunlight clean and fresh actress of the year and you walked away with ten thousand Dollars. How do you come about that?
Yes I won the best of NOLLYHOOD awards. They contacted me and said Sunlight is holding a partnership awards and it was a different category that Sunlight came up with. It’s a partnership awards to support the clean and fresh actress of the year. And they said I was one of the nominees and are very strictly on votes and we needed our fans to vote for us. So I put the words around on facebook and twitter. I contacted all my people about it and that was I. On the day of the awards, they called out the nominees and they said I won.
And who did you beat to it?
It was I, Funke Akindele, Mercy Johnson, Ronke Oshodi Oke, they are all Yoruba actress. Just the four of us.
You are one big brand in the industry that everybody respect, how are you able to build that over the years, it must have been a lot of hard work?
I have been in the industry for a very long time, but I left it. Because then I was in my first year in the University and it wasn’t just working because then. Its either school or movie and everyone was dropping out and I don’t want to be a drop out. So I said to myself, you know what am not going to drop out of school am going to finish my education because that is the most important thing. At that point of my life how old was I; I was just a teenager like eighteen. I have to do the most important thing which was more important to me at that time, my education. And right after school, I got married. Then I relocated and I came back into the industry and I have been into the industry for about four years now. But when I came back it wasn’t automatic then. Is not like because I was there then it should be automatic and everybody will still remember you, no it wasn’t. I was a new girl and that was everyone’s concern because the industry had moved on. Even though then I like did three lead roles I was already making my name then but that was a long time ago. I came back and it wasn’t easy trying to get there. I try to meet certain people to get roles and then I met Emem Isong, I met Lancelot oduwa Imasun and they were really really helpful. I read for Emem Isongand she tough I had the talent and she started putting me in her movies and other people started taking notice. And that is it but the thing is that I didn’t just go from one place to the other that I must do ever film and all that. You will think that an actress like me should be in ever movie but no. I have scripts in my car that I rejected, I am not doing.
Why do you do that?
Because they are not good enough. When you want to do something and you want to something of excellence, if you don’t stand for something then you will fall for something. And I maintained that am going to do good movies that won’t insult intelligence. And a lot of movies you watch and you think who do these people think we are now, do they think we are babies. And that is what I have been trying to do, just to do only good movies. And God has really blessed me like almost all the big bujet movies I am been involved. God know that this is what I want to do and he is helping to keep it that way. Am happy where I am.
When you left the industry you never made a contact or an attempt to keep the fame our building.
No I didn’t and I did here movies hen.
Can you remember our first movie?
Yes, I did ‘not my will’; it was one of the big movies then. A kind of revolutionaries NOLLYHOOD at that time. We had a big premier at the MUSON centre; people weren’t doing that at that time. I was a really very big movie. And then I did another campus film, I was the lead actress, then I did ‘destined to die’ with Felix Duka then. Those where the three movies I did them like kind of back to back.
And what did you stud in school?
Foreign language, French
Do you still do that?
No, but I have hope doing a French movie.
When?
I don’t know, soon as I get a script.
And at some point you have travel somewhere or what for our IT?
Yes. In my third year I left for Togo, I was there for one ear. Because it is important that you go to either a French village of a French country so I went to Togo.
And where you’re not recognized at any point because Nigerian movies have been an export since?
No. Right now it is but then is not like now. Even in America people stop me on the street and they are like ho I know you bla bla bla and the take pictures with me and its huge now out there in America. On like then.
Would you say anchor baby is your biggest hit?
No I will say ‘anchor baby’ and ‘figurine’. Because figurine really pushed me out there I must say to be honest. Even though a lot of people haven’t seen the figurine because they have to wait for the DVDs on the street. People who talk have not seen it because if you don’t leave in Nigeria and you havent been to the cinema then you haven’t seen the figurine. For you to be able to see and judge our performances or how good the movie is. That was really a great movie because it really deviated from what everyone was doing at that time. And then ‘Anchor baby’ is here. The good thing about ‘Anchor baby’ is that it’s a performance driven movie take it or leave it. ‘Anchor baby’ is me. If you take me out of ‘Anchor baby’, that is the end of the movie. The character ‘joy’ which I played, that is ‘anchor baby’. It’s another movie that has come out that is like well, she knows what she is doing. That is what I like about and the film and the treatment of the movie are beautiful. The quality is there you can take it away from it. Am just happy God is bringing all these kind of movies my way.
And how do you get all these roles?
It’s funny and not even anything that I did. Figurine I was in m house and somebody called me up. She was in charge of costumes for figurine. And she said she is from Kunle, before Kunle and I were not friend, we just see and say hi to each other and that was all. She said Kunle is doing a movie and there is a role her that I think it perfect for you. I said to her really and she said they just did audition a day before but people are coming for a reading today, do you want to come. And people will think ho you’re a big actress out don have to go for that. Bu I said no problem, I go into my car and I drove down to Ikeja. And when I go there they were doing the reading and I was invited o come and do the reading and after the reading Kunle was like well, we have found who we wanted. That was it and he said take the script home and then you will tell me if you want to be part of his project or not. And I took the script and read it till like 3 am and I sent him a text that I am definitely part of the team. I have not seen something like that before and I know good script, I crave for good scripts. I don’t always see a good script and that was how I got figurine. ‘Anchor baby’ I was actually in friend’s house on the estate and I got a call from Canada saying he wants to do a movie and all that and I was like. It is movie that these people want to start using to do there scam. And like you know I was like I just wanted to waste the person’s airtime. And along the line I figured that this person is not a scam and I just responded. And then he just kept calling back and keeps calling and then he told me that someone had referred him to me. And it was someone I had worked with on Emen set. When he old he person he kind of ac he waned, the person said it was only me that can do that job. And that was how I go ha one too and is just been God favour.
And when you got on board to Canada, what was on our mind?
I was excited. I was really excited because I have never done any international movie all my life. And I tough that this was the best for me. And I was prepared to give it m best.
And what found memories of the set do you still carry?
The cast and crew were so nice. I was my birthday two days before we rapped and they all came with gift. It wasn’t even my birthday, it still remains two days and because they knew I wasn’t going to be around they all came with gifs. I was the only black person on the crew and they were just incredibly nice.
When did you start acing professionally?
From when I was born. Maybe when it was from the church.
Can you let us into you?
I was born in Benin. Bu I left when I was five. My mum works at Delta steel company and that was where I grew up basically. When I left there I went to the university of Benin and my mum has two kids, me and m sister. I grew up in that community. Its ten years now with three kids since I got married. My son in figurine, also bagged the best kid awards at the same best of NOLLYHOOD Awards and he is also eyeing been an actor. Our tenth year’s anniversary we went to Dubai last year to celebrate.
And what are you currently working on now?
I am working on my own movie. Alongside the partnership awards came partnership for a movie. So they are going to partner with me to do my own movie. I have been working on me before now. I went to New York school of acing his years. Then I am into business that I am not ready to talk about now please.
And how are you able to remain one of the scandal free actresses around?
I just remain who I am. If I am not on location, I stay in my room. That is the secret.