Star Nollywood actress, Jaiye Kuti, has for the past 20 years been prominent in the Nigerian theatre and movie industry. The actress and producer, who combines beauty with simplicity to play her roles in movies, played host to a team of students from the Lagos State Polytechnic on a special news gathering project, Ademola Folorunsho, Olajide Rachael, Kareem Opeyemi, Badmus Fuhad, Tijani Ayomide, Ademola Oluwapelumi, Ogbeide Blessing, Ogbeide Joy, Adeniyi Oluwafemi, Obayemi Elizabeth, Ejiofor Jessica and Omotosho Fikayo. In the no-holds-barred interview, the movie Amazon shares how rewarding acting can be, and how challenging, including interesting topics about her personal life. Excepts…
We will like to know how you became an actor.
I started acting when I decided I didn’t want to do a paid employment. I can’t really remember the year but I was already married. So I decided to go into acting, even before then people were already telling me that, you better go and act, you are very talented. And I knew I already had it in me. That was how it started.
What motivates or drives your unique style of acting?
Actually, everything has to do with passion, because if you don’t have passion for something, nothing is going to drive you. If you don’t have passion to dress well, no matter how expensive or how good looking the clothes are, you will just look at it and take off your face. Firstly, you must have passion and love for what you want to do and loving anything you do is number one passion. So, I love acting and I have been living it since I was very young.
Please, describe the happiest moment of your life.
The happiest moments of my life are many. I cannot describe one. Like seeing you now, it makes me happy because this is the first time I am doing something like this. I love it. When I see the young ones growing, it makes me happy.
If you could change anything about your personality what could it be?
I love everything about me. I am a very simple person. I am simple by nature. Some of you might have seen it, so I can’t change anything about me and I am not a proud person. I am not arrogant. So, I mingle in the middle of whoever wants to have me. So, I can’t change anything.
Which of your movies was so challenging?
Actually, it was my first movie, ‘Ewon Laafin, Itan Kokoro Ide’. I shot it in 2007 and we premiered it in the cinema in italy. It was most challenging. I was pregnant and I lost my pregnancy but I could not stop working because the thing is that, the show must go on. Even though I lost the pregnancy, the next day I had to be back on set. It was really tough. It was my first job and it was an epic. I will say that was my worst challenge on the job so far.
Being a responsible mother and wife, how do romantic roles in movie affect your marriage?
The kind of man I married, let me say I am lucky. Even my husband, most times, he would complain that the type of movies we do, the romantic scenes are very dry. That is my husband for you What I cannot go into is deep kissing but I can do romantic roles like holding the man. To kiss a man, you have to be in love with the man and he has to move you. So, there is difference. It is not that I will act nude or allow somebody to press my bum. But to do romance movies is fantastic and is one of the things we have to do and I love to play it. I am a romantic woman.
In the movie industry, who is your role model?
Going back, I used to say Aunty Sola Sobowale. I love the way she acts. I love her from when I used to see her doing everything. Up till now, I still love her movies, especially ‘King of Boys’ that is coming out soon. I can’t wait to see it. Whitney Houston is another role model of mine. When I listen to her songs, they inspire me and when I saw her act in a movie, I told myself that one day I was going to act in movies too. She was the reason I joined choir in the church and started singing. So, those inspirations don’t die.
What’s your favourite designer brand?
I have a lot of favourites. If I say one now, the other will be angry and they are the one giving me food.
Have you ever felt disappointed in the movie industry that you almost turned back from acting?
Yes, a lot of time. We call it challenges. At a point, I just felt like I should stop. At a time I wanted to stop was when piracy was the order of day. When you released a movie today, it is already pirated, out on jackets and seen everywhere in the market even when you have no money yet to release it on your own. At that point, I thought, well, what am I doing this job for; by the time I spent two to three million naira on a movie and it’s already pirated, how am I going to sell my own sweat? So, at that point, I felt like I had to quit. But in the middle of it, we were able to find help from government and our association, TAMPAN. It is not that we have been able to stop piracy totally but thanks to Youtube, Netflix, Vidmate and other online platforms that has really helped us. Even when you are out there, your money is coming in either in dollars or naira.
Your fans say you look younger than your age, what charm would you attribute to your youthful look?
Well, this youthful look is from my father, may his soul rest in peace. He was a very handsome man. My father, at my age, looks just like me. So, I took after my dad, but my mum was equally beautiful. Also, you need money to look good and God has been so faithful and He has been providing.
What will you tell younger women who dream to be successful in career like actress Jaiye Kuti?
I do say that whatever you lay your hands on, just do it well. I do tell them to be focused, whatever you want to do don’t be distracted. Distraction is why some people are not moving, distraction is why they are just there and don’t even know why they are there. Without being immodest, I know a lot of people that have been in this same industry, I met them there and they are still there because they lost focus.
You are a regular feature in movie and television dramas, how do you cope as a working wife and mother?
Managing home and work, number one, you must have a great understanding with your husband. Secondly, your husband must agree and understand the nature of your job. So, for me, because my husband understands the job I do, it is easy for me to say “Baba, we are going again next week, I have prepared your food, my mom is in the house to take care of the kids while I’m gone”. So, great understanding is what holds relationship, marriage, it is not love. Love has never helped any marriage, understanding does. I don’t know any of you, so if I say I love you I just say it but I understand you that these people came for me, they understand my position in the society.
