Veteran actor Oludotun Jacobs, known simply as Olu Jacobs, died on Wednesday. For over six decades, he blazed the trail in Nollywood. Born in the days when actors were not taken seriously, Olu stood his ground, followed his dream and became one of the greatest in the movie industry. In this February 2015 interview by JOAN OMIONAWELE, he spoke about his life and career, among others.
With over five decades as an actor, how has life been over the years?
We have been trying to keep the ball rolling. I only take a little break of one month or six weeks before we get back to work. Unlike INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), which waits for four years before embarking on its national assignment, our own industry is ongoing.
There are things we need to put in place; we don’t have to wait till we have a festival or want to welcome some people before we put some things in place. We have a beautiful National Theatre, which was the envy of the world, but we have run it down to a point where we can’t use it for the purpose for which it was built. They have set up a trust fund to raise money to revive it, but I don’t know why they have not revived it.
But do you think the N200 million intervention fund granted by the Federal Government has taken Nollywood anywhere?
Any form of training will help at the stage we are now. As long as it will increase knowledge, there is nothing wrong with it if it is handled properly. I don’t have the full details of the intervention fund you are talking about, but if the right people can contribute and if my people get it, then it is a good thing.
But if they provide for people to go and get trained, they must also provide for those who are at home to be able to put productions together, so that the people being trained can be useful to us.
You studied Dramatic Arts in England. What was your experience coming back to a country like Nigeria?
Nigeria wasn’t primitive when I came back. Unfortunately, we had been corrupted by the oil boom. The Civil War affected the oil boom. Everybody began to chase money, and that was what took over the country. We began to buy American and British cars because the oil money was there.
It’s not as if we were not capable of it, but we had technicians who were trained, though all they did was sit in their mighty offices doing nothing and signing papers, putting on their suits and sitting in mighty offices doing nothing.
So, why didn’t you choose the corporate life?
No. That is not my life. My life is set to teach, promote, educate, show and stimulate people, not to sit in an office. I didn’t even give it a moment’s thought. All I did was try to talk to the guys in offices, and they said I had been away for too long, that I had become an oyinbo and did not understand what was going on in their offices, so I left them.
But with the turn of events now, most of them are asking to come and seek help. I was not angry; all I did was remind them of what they had said about me, and they said I was right.
But we are just beginning to get to a stage where we are asking. The next thing, I hope, is that they chase after them and make sure the right people are where they are supposed to be. Of course, I was hurt and disappointed, but it turned out that what I thought was progress was not progress at all.
It didn’t dampen my spirit. All my life, both here and in Europe, it has been hard. I never got anything easy; I had to work and work hard for it. It was a struggle. That was the situation I found myself in when I came.
I’m aware that your father did not support your decision to study Dramatic Arts. How were you able to convince him?
When I told him I wanted to act, he said, ‘Act what?’ I said I wanted to be an actor. He then said, ‘Do you know who an actor is? An actor is someone who plays for a living. You can do that as recreation, not as a profession.’
I told him that there were people doing this same job of making people happy all over the world and were making it; in turn, they would pay me because I was not going to be doing them a favour. But he refused.
I then went to my mother, who agreed and promised to do whatever she could to help me. So, we both planned everything, and I travelled to Europe for the course.
So, your dad did not say anything?
I wrote a letter to him and gave it to the person who took me to the airport. By the time I landed in Frankfurt, the letter was delivered to him. I explained and pleaded with him to believe in my dreams. Then I began sending presents and his favourite kind of tobacco, and that was how we settled it.
What is the secret of your staying relevant in the industry over the years?
First, hard work. And then, I try not to deceive myself. There are temptations, and there are times when you want to be lazy and you don’t give your 100 per cent, and that may be the day a very important person will come. Even people who don’t know you will look for you when they see your work. There is no substitute for hard work.
What is your take on the state of the nation right now?
It’s unfortunate that anytime we have elections, we get things like this. We know what politicians do. We know what some people will actually do to either get or retain power. I only pray that calmness will be restored to Nigeria.
That is why other nations of the world are appealing to Nigerians that losers in these elections should accept their fate and get ready for another election rather than fight over this because they have lost.
I hope that INEC will continue to be fair. But when people see that you are fair, there will be no need for violence. But when they see things that are unfair, then they get angry. Our democracy is young, and democracy is tough, difficult and very expensive.
About Boko Haram, we all must remember that there is no substitute for peace; we must give the spirit of give-and-take. Above all, there has to be self-respect. If we do, we will listen to others when they speak, but when one is lying and insists on lying, it will make outsiders see us as unserious.
I have a feeling that we are on the verge of bringing in leaders who mean well not only for the country, but also for the outside world. Without cordial relationships with other countries, we will be in serious trouble, no matter what we do.
A lot of celebrities are joining politics. Why haven’t you been linked with any party?
Our job is to observe and praise where necessary, but that is part of it. I did not feel like going for any rally because I haven’t been invited. I don’t know Asiwaju, but I wish him well. I don’t know too well about his party, too. But I see some people moving from one party to another these days.
So, if you get invited, will you take part in politics?
I will think about it.
So far, what has been your most challenging movie role?
Hmm, I don’t find any role difficult. The only problem I have is coming out of a particular character after playing the role. You see, one has to believe in a particular character before playing a role. For me, it is how the audience sees me that matters.
If you could turn back the hands of time, would you want to change anything about yourself?
I will still be an actor. There are some people I will still want to communicate with through acting.
Do you have any regrets so far in life?
Knowing what I know now about so many things, I would like to be given the opportunity to have a go at it again.
Why do you want to go through life again? Are you not satisfied?
When people watch my movies and call me, saying I did a perfect job, I see the faults, though I accept the congratulations. Yet, I see what I could do to make it even better. But if God says no to a second chance, I am very happy and grateful.
Have you ever had a near-death experience?
That must have been when I was living in Kano. It was a Saturday morning. I was at home when this noise came from Fagge, where Hausas lived. There were millions of bees and locusts. As they got closer, I noticed there were stones too coming with the locusts. They came in, breaking all the windows and destroying whatever was in their way.
The most painful part was that my brother was not around. It was hell. I had never been so frightened in all my life. But fortunately for us, my brother came back about an hour after the incident. That I can remember as a day I will never forget.
After the incident, that was the first day I ever saw anything like a riot. Because Kano was a very peaceful place, people could not understand it. It ruined things. It was incredible. From then on, Kano was never my Kano again.
When last did you go to Kano?
Maybe 10 years ago.
You have witnessed two ages of Nollywood-the old and the new. What do you think the industry still needs?
I don’t know what you mean by old or new Nollywood. The technology remains the same, but it only needs to be refined. We must continually update ourselves so that we will not be left behind. If we are left behind, we are in serious trouble.
We have shocked the world by letting them know that we keep abreast of what is happening. They all came here thinking that they could teach us how to handle some kinds of cameras.
Who are you referring to?
Some white men whom I worked with four months ago. They came and involved me in their production, and when they asked what type of cameras we were using, they were shocked to hear that we were using RED cameras. They thought we had never heard about RED cameras before.
We handled the cameras comfortably and effectively, to their disbelief. So, you know what they did? They involved all the equipment they knew could sink us, but when we got here, they saw that we still adapt fast. All that we need is to continuously spend money to update ourselves and make sure we are relevant all the time.
Apart from that, we are as good and even better than all of them. We do a lot of things and give them whatever they think they could never think of.
I believe that Nollywood will continue to grow. But technically, we must continue to grow. We cannot continue to go to people’s homes to shoot movies. Of course, we can spend a few hours in a beautiful home shooting a movie, but not remain there for a whole week or month. We need professional studios, which we can set up to look like a beautiful home; you can do all kinds of things without disturbing anyone.
There is this story about the rivalry between Pete Edochie and you; people say you both don’t see eye to eye. Can you clarify this?
Pete and I have always been very close. I am close to him and close to his children as well. I don’t know how this story started. People just engage in wishful thinking most times. We worked together long before I started this acting career.
We would be in a hotel together on set. Pete would bring some fruits and I would bring some water, and we would share the fruits together. Every time we met, we hugged each other normally and talked at length. I would say that anything he had against me, he would say it before me. So, please ignore them.
Who are the actors and actresses who impress you?
They are all there. I don’t have any favourites. They are very hardworking young men and women who handle their roles professionally. I don’t know if I can tell you that I love this one more than that one. Most of them interpret and manipulate their roles so well. And that is what acting is about.
Your marriage to Joke Silva has spanned many years despite the fact that celebrity marriages don’t last. What has been the secret?
We are good friends. We have God and our mum-Joke Silva’s mum-who is our great support and rock.
You promised to stop smoking five years ago. Have you been able to stop?
Yes.
When was that?
I actually stopped some time ago, but I started again, and then I stopped and started again.
Why don’t you just stop? A lot of people still need you around for many more years.
Exactly. That is the question I am trying to answer. I am actually looking for an answer to the question.
Do you have any last words?
I want to thank Tribune for still carrying the flag and working hard. That is why I feel at ease with being very relevant, because people know they can read Tribune and get facts that are not diluted. We have been reading Tribune for so many years, and we are very proud of you.
This interview was originally published in the Saturday Tribune of February 7, 2015.