Busty actress Foluke-Daramola-Salako spoke with Assistant Editor, AKIN SOKOYA, on the secret of her successful marriage, her new project, her career, what stands her out among others.
Read on…
Could you share your interesting rise to stardom with us?
Immediately I started shooting the ‘Palace’, they started splashing me on the pages of newspapers. My fame changed immediately after my acting career.
Commercially, how would you say acting and production have been for you?
It’s okay but it could be better. Thank God for the other avenues we have now like the Internet and DSTV rights. That’s bringing extra cash for us, and the cinema avenue other than the regular DVD release.
What has fame deprived you of?
Fame has deprived me of my privacy. I can’t do things the way I want to. Also, it has also helped me to caution myself to live a good life, because at the end of the day, I don’t fall to the other side.
What is your view on fashion and style?
For me, fashion and style mean putting on things that are comfortable for me; what I think I look good on and I would not go out of my way to run a surgery on my body or tattoo my body. I like to keep fashion moderate and decent most of the time because I’m a role model to the younger generation.
Which fashionable item do you cherish?
Shoes and perfumes.
How will you interpret your own style?
My style is more of a tomboy, I’m a jeans person. I’m more comfortable in my jeans and top.
Where do you normally go for vacation?
Canada, it’s very peaceful.
When you go on holiday, do you go with your family?
Most time, especially with my hubby; once in a while, I go with my children as well.
Who actually shaped your life while you were growing up?
My mother, she taught me to be morally upright woman. She taught me that no matter what happens, I should try to always keep the home. My mum is my greatest motivator.
When was your most embarrassing moment?
My most embarrassing moment was when I was coming up and I granted an interview and the interview was headlined ‘my morally corrupt life’, this was in 1998/99. I felt so embarrassed with that and since then, I’ve learnt my lesson and being very careful when granting an interview.
Have you had any cause to regret being an actress?
No, I haven’t. I believe that whatever I do in life has a purpose. If I look at it critically, I would say acting has impacted both positive and negative things into my life.
What do you do at your leisure time?
I cook for my husband and take care of my children’s home work. My home front is very important than my acting career.
I started acting in 1996 when I was about to enter university. I started showbizness when I was between 13 and 14 years. I’m married to Rotarian Kayode Salako, I love him so much and I’m sure he loves me so much too. I run Passion Against Rape in Africa (PARA) project and I’m passionate about Nigeria. My TV programme will be coming up very soon known as The Morning After. It’s a talk show on womanhood, lifestyle and others. It’s coming up on Galaxy.
Which event really shaped your childhood?
The event that shaped my childhood was when I lost my father. I was two years old when he died and my mother didn’t hesitate to struggle and put things right for her children. This event shaped my life.
Would you like to say something on the rumour circulating about your marriage?
I don’t even want to speak on that issue. Much has been written about it which is not real. Besides, my husband has warned me not to say anything about it at all. So, let’s leave it at that.
What stands you out in the industry?
I guess it’s my principle because I’m extremely principled. I try to keep to myself. The fact that I’m an actress doesn’t stop me from going to school to read further.
Is there any role you can’t interpret as an actress and why?
Playing the role of exposing my body, it is a taboo for me, and exposing my body is not part of film as an actress.
How do you share your time between your family and work?
Like now, I’m with my husband at a Chinese Restaurant. Like I said earlier, my family comes first before others because they are my backstage.
What’s the secret of your marriage?
Marriage is not a bed of roses. The binding force is what has brought us together. If you don’t understand what has brought you together, the tendency of keeping the marriage is slim and it’s going to be very difficult but if you understand the depth of what brought the two of you together, even though you have issues, you would surmount the challenges.
What’s your view about women in politics with the emergence of woman as governor of Taraba State?
The day a woman emerged the governor of Taraba State was one of the best days of my life. Northerners have been complaining about women being at the back, but having a woman as the governor of Taraba State means that things are changing and the face of politics in Nigeria is gradually becoming global. People like us will actually join politics one day. It’s a welcome and encouraging development.
What’s your advice to women who have not embraced politics?
They should push forward, take up the mantle and move ahead.
What do you cherish so much about your husband?
It’s the fact that my husband is a good-looking and very comfortable man. The driving force for us is the fact that I love him so much and we are spiritually connected. It’s beyond the physical thing. If it’s the physical thing, it would be about just love and love alone can’t sustain a marriage. If it’s just about love, by now, we won’t be together anymore, but it’s more of spiritual binding that we both understand and we have to treat and nurture it.
What kind of perfume do you use since you are a perfume freak?
I love Gucci, Elizabeth Tailor among others.
Who are your friends in the industry?
Moji Olaiya, is the closest person to me but I have a relationship with Iyabo Ojo, Mercy Aigbe-Gentry. At each point in time, I have a relationship with everybody in the industry.
What would you have been if you are not an actress?
I would have been a diplomat.