Odunlade Adekola

40 years old Odunlade Adekola has no doubt fought his way into the hearts of movie fans in Nigeria. This Nollywood star is also a Glo ambassador. His steady rise to fame is attributable to dedication, doggedness and his desire to always excel. He talks about his life, career and family in a chat with Gbenga Bada

BACKGROUND....
I was born on December 31, 1978 and attended St John’s Primary School, Abeokuta; St. Peter’s College,  Abeokuta and Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta. I am the second child in a family of three guys and one girl. It is a Christian family. I grew up in Lafenwa, Abeokuta, an area that is more like a ghetto; though we had some good guys there also. I was one of those good guys. My parents were disciplined and they instilled this in us. They always encourage us to move with people who will be real friends. My parents made sure they knew all my friends. I was always asked to bring my friends home for them to know them.  So, whenever I brought them in, my father would ask, ‘which church do you attend? Where do you live? Who are your parents?’ and all that.

How I Met My Wife....
I met my wife the same way a responsible guy and a responsible lady should meet. The very first day I met her, I asked her out and told her, ‘I like you’. She was just laughing, and she didn’t expect me to say it like that.  She said ‘you are an actor and I know you very well, why will you say you have interest in me, you have a lot of ladies around you.’ Then, I replied: ‘Well, I did not say what I said for you to believe. I know I just have interest in you and I want marriage not casual relationship.’ When my brother asked me, why I was interested in her, I simply said, ‘she is a responsible girl.’ And being responsible is the best quality in all things. My wife is a very good Christian when I met her and she still maintains that value as a good wife and Christian. My wife is familiar with what I do; she knows me very well. She understands when I am not around. When I am around, I devote all my time to her. My kids are cool, very fine and I love them. If I am not around, they know I am at work. When I am around, I find time to play with them and listen to their stories, even if I don’t understand what they are saying. I am always busy but I still have time for my family. Sometimes, I am on location, maybe for three to four days and a maximum of two weeks.

I’m Happy to Be A Glo Ambassador…
I must tell you, Glo endorsement is one of the happiest things in my life. It makes me happy anytime I remember that I am a Glo ambassador, because when you are working, you don’t know the type of people watching you. There are a lot of people in the entertainment industry.  So, for a big company like that to say ‘let us call on this man to be an ambassador’ is a great thing for me. So, I am so happy. Like I used to say, I never thought of it at all or that any organization would call on me to b e its brand ambassador. It is something of great joy to me. It was an unexpected call. I did not even believe them at first. I was directing a job then; they called me and said ‘Mr Adekola, you have been invited to our office tomorrow morning at Adeola Odeku Street. Please, come and see us’. I said no problem and they told me the time was 10 a.m. I got there, one of their bosses, a white man,  attended to me and he asked, ‘are you  Mr Adekola’, I said ‘yes’. And he said, ‘you are now one of our Glo ambassadors’. I was so happy.  Being a Glo ambassador has influenced me and my career in many ways. Some of my fans now expect too much from me but I’m happy.

Career So Far…
I have been around for several years in the industry. I joined the industry in 1996, when I joined the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts practitioners. I was on stage initially when I started. I was strictly on stage. I was on stage till 2003 or so. We usually call people to come and watch what we did in Abeokuta. It was only few people that produced films in Abeokuta then. So, we were really not interested in being in movies. We appreciated stage plays a lot. Now, everything has changed; everybody now wants to be in movies. Then, we produced movies too but not as much as we performed on stage. Stage is live and direct. On television and movies, they do a lot of editing. To be sincere, I always encourage the up and coming in the industry to start with the stage. Stage will make you to have confidence in yourself. While I was joining the industry, we formed one caucus then. I, Segun Ogungbe, Lukeman Olu, Paragon Kehinde, and some other people. But I’ve always believed in hard work and if you know what you are doing, it will be easy for you to do those things. Immediately, I get a script, I read it and know what they want, or I call the director to ask what he wants in the movie. If I get a script without message, I drop it, irrespective of whether I am called to direct or act. I don’t take any script.

Parents’ Reaction…
My parents encouraged, me to go into acting, and since then they have been praying for me. I am surprised, because a lot of parents will not allow that. I am so happy, about my parents because they have been very supportive. My daddy is a pastor, my mummy is a deacon, and they are always around me. I love them so much. Then, there was one programme in Abeokuta called ‘artiste night’.Mmy parents come once in a while whenever I am performing. They will even invite their friends to come and watch me. My daddy, was a choir master then in Christ Apostolic church. He was the choir master for 18 years. He can also act, in church though; he won’t try it outside in the secular world.
 
Coping With Females…
I love them, because they are the ones that watch my movies. They are the ones that introduce me to their guys. Most guys don’t have the chance to watch movies; it is these ladies that watch them. So, I appreciate them. They are the ones that make their boyfriends and husbands watch us. From there, these guys will pick up interest in us. I have never met crazy females like they say. The female fans I have met so far are matured. Some will just ask for number, pin and autographs. That is all. My wife copes fine. When we walk together and people greet me, she will be happy.

Not Restricted to Yoruba Movies…
I have done two English movies but they are comedy movies, and they are not yet out. If English producers call me for jobs, I will go. But Yoruba movies are more important to me, because that is where I made my fame and that is where my background lies.