Nollywood actress, Kemi Lala- Akindoju, has opened up on her personal life, relationship with fellow actor OC Ukeje.
See excerpts from her interview with Tribune below:
Asides the glitz and glamour of showbiz, who is Kemi Lala?
I’m an expressive person, I’m the girl next door and there are no airs to me, I think the only thing besides Jesus that I’m only passionate about is my job, I can die on my job, I do it will my soul, body and mind, I breathe , eat ,sleep my work. My social life is in my work . I love to play like a small child, I’m also an avid film watcher, my friends know that I have a whole night dedicated to watching movies. I love music, I appreciate every form of music, at a point, my father thought I was going to be a musician.
What would you consider your weaknesses?
I am very impatient, I’m still asking the holy spirit to help me on that.
You started acting in 2005, how did it all begin for you?
I was an undergraduate in University of Lagos at that time and wasn’t sure the direction my life was going to take, but I loved to perform on stage by singing and dancing and a friend from church was looking for casts to a two-man play, I did the play in 2005 and it was beautiful. I loved the way that I felt on stage, also relieving people’s expectations is something word’s can’t describe, I did another play in 2007 ,but in 2008, I got into acting professionally.
Who are your role models in the industry?
Top of the list is Joke Silva, she is a role model. I admire her so much. One thing about her is that she is excited about raising young people that will take over. One thing about up and coming artistes is the fear of whom will guide them and make a way for them in the industry, but Aunty Joke’s mission is to constantly make a room for one who is just entering the industry to shine, and that way, she even shines more, but people don’t understand that.
She has been working for over 30 years in this industry and has stayed relevant and she is still a professional to the core. I employed her in my play, ‘The Wives’ in 2014 and she played the lead role, she said yes to the process, I was her boss, she obeyed and was always punctual and ready to adjust to the rules.
Kate Henshaw is also my big sister. I also admire Tunde Kelani because he has achieved so much and has managed to stay humble. I just tweeted now that Tunde Kelani is a legend, Kunle Afolayan too has been able to merge the old and the new and become a phenomenal producer.
What was the experience staring on the set of Tinsel?
Tinsel was my first professional job as an actress, though my character is on a trip right now. Aunty Joke tried to prepare me for the role and gave me some helpful tips, I already had my lines, and since I already had some years of experience on stage, I realised how dead the camera could be. Performing in front of a live audience is different from performing in front of a camera, I had to bond with the camera, fall in love with the camera and make the camera fall in love with me, an actor must be in an intense, love relationship with the camera.
The camera is also very jealous, if you cheat on the camera, it will show you up, it’s actually worse than a human being, so when I am in front of the camera, it’s like I’m in front of my lover, and in front of my lover, I must be myself, because the camera needs to see truth. Tinsel helped me get very comfortable.
You sound like a romantic person
Oh my God, I’m such a romantic person, but some people think it’s because I am an actor and I live what I see in the movies, but that’s not the point, I’m romantic to the point that when people say they don’t like flowers, I actually love flowers, “ bring me flowers, I want them”. I want my man to send me text messages at the middle of the day, I want him to call my name and just say he felt like calling my name. The little things matter. I’m very sensitive and emotional. I have very few friends and the people I call my friends are very few, but I love them. I am a lover and I love intensely and if you are not my kind of person, I may appear cold, which is not deliberate.
This makes me ask, You caused an uproar on twitter last year for being Oc Ukeje’s bestman, why did you decide to be his best man?
I wasn’t his best man, I was his groom’s maid. Which is a merger of a groom’s man and a bride’s maid and OC ukeje is my bestie, he is my guy and so, when your guy is getting married, you wear a suit. We have been planning that wedding day for years, and we had agreed that I will wear a suit to his wedding and not a dress, and when he finally chose a wife, she knew that I was going to put on a suit at their wedding
So she didn’t have a problem with you standing right behind her husband?
I didn’t stand behind him, I was on the train with the guys, just that I wore a suit.I cannot even imagine wearing a dress to OC’s wedding, Why would I?, he is my ride or die guy.
See excerpts from her interview with Tribune below:
Asides the glitz and glamour of showbiz, who is Kemi Lala?
I’m an expressive person, I’m the girl next door and there are no airs to me, I think the only thing besides Jesus that I’m only passionate about is my job, I can die on my job, I do it will my soul, body and mind, I breathe , eat ,sleep my work. My social life is in my work . I love to play like a small child, I’m also an avid film watcher, my friends know that I have a whole night dedicated to watching movies. I love music, I appreciate every form of music, at a point, my father thought I was going to be a musician.
What would you consider your weaknesses?
I am very impatient, I’m still asking the holy spirit to help me on that.
You started acting in 2005, how did it all begin for you?
I was an undergraduate in University of Lagos at that time and wasn’t sure the direction my life was going to take, but I loved to perform on stage by singing and dancing and a friend from church was looking for casts to a two-man play, I did the play in 2005 and it was beautiful. I loved the way that I felt on stage, also relieving people’s expectations is something word’s can’t describe, I did another play in 2007 ,but in 2008, I got into acting professionally.
Who are your role models in the industry?
Top of the list is Joke Silva, she is a role model. I admire her so much. One thing about her is that she is excited about raising young people that will take over. One thing about up and coming artistes is the fear of whom will guide them and make a way for them in the industry, but Aunty Joke’s mission is to constantly make a room for one who is just entering the industry to shine, and that way, she even shines more, but people don’t understand that.
She has been working for over 30 years in this industry and has stayed relevant and she is still a professional to the core. I employed her in my play, ‘The Wives’ in 2014 and she played the lead role, she said yes to the process, I was her boss, she obeyed and was always punctual and ready to adjust to the rules.
Kate Henshaw is also my big sister. I also admire Tunde Kelani because he has achieved so much and has managed to stay humble. I just tweeted now that Tunde Kelani is a legend, Kunle Afolayan too has been able to merge the old and the new and become a phenomenal producer.
What was the experience staring on the set of Tinsel?
Tinsel was my first professional job as an actress, though my character is on a trip right now. Aunty Joke tried to prepare me for the role and gave me some helpful tips, I already had my lines, and since I already had some years of experience on stage, I realised how dead the camera could be. Performing in front of a live audience is different from performing in front of a camera, I had to bond with the camera, fall in love with the camera and make the camera fall in love with me, an actor must be in an intense, love relationship with the camera.
The camera is also very jealous, if you cheat on the camera, it will show you up, it’s actually worse than a human being, so when I am in front of the camera, it’s like I’m in front of my lover, and in front of my lover, I must be myself, because the camera needs to see truth. Tinsel helped me get very comfortable.
You sound like a romantic person
Oh my God, I’m such a romantic person, but some people think it’s because I am an actor and I live what I see in the movies, but that’s not the point, I’m romantic to the point that when people say they don’t like flowers, I actually love flowers, “ bring me flowers, I want them”. I want my man to send me text messages at the middle of the day, I want him to call my name and just say he felt like calling my name. The little things matter. I’m very sensitive and emotional. I have very few friends and the people I call my friends are very few, but I love them. I am a lover and I love intensely and if you are not my kind of person, I may appear cold, which is not deliberate.
This makes me ask, You caused an uproar on twitter last year for being Oc Ukeje’s bestman, why did you decide to be his best man?
I wasn’t his best man, I was his groom’s maid. Which is a merger of a groom’s man and a bride’s maid and OC ukeje is my bestie, he is my guy and so, when your guy is getting married, you wear a suit. We have been planning that wedding day for years, and we had agreed that I will wear a suit to his wedding and not a dress, and when he finally chose a wife, she knew that I was going to put on a suit at their wedding
So she didn’t have a problem with you standing right behind her husband?
I didn’t stand behind him, I was on the train with the guys, just that I wore a suit.I cannot even imagine wearing a dress to OC’s wedding, Why would I?, he is my ride or die guy.
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