Wale Ojo: Japa Mentality Embarrassing, Unfortunate
Nigerian-British actor, Wale Ojo, has traversed quite a memorable career as an actor in the United Kingdom and Nigeria. He recently won the Best Lead Actor award at the 10th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards held in Lagos. Ojo’s talent and dedication to his craft have seen him rise to prominence in the film industry. He speaks to Ferdinand Ekechukwu about his childhood, journey so far in his acting career and his love for Nigeria. He also says taking on the role of Wole Soyinka in ‘The Man Died’ was the highpoint in his career, noting that it was an immense honour for him to play the role because of his admiration for the Nobel Laureate
How do you feel winning Best Lead Actor at the recently concluded 10th AMVCA?
Well, you know I feel great, I feel good. I’m very grateful to God for winning that award. Like I said duringmyspeech,BBSasorewrote a great script, we had a great team; Ola Cardoso the D.O.P was fantastic, BB directed, Eku Edewor produced. And of course a great supporting cast; Chimezie Imo top on that list, Geneveva Umeh, Demola Adedoyin, Sam Dede was incredible, Tina Mbah was amazing. So, yeah it was good.
Can the movie – ‘Breadth of Life’ - for which you won the award, be seen as a breath of fresh air?
Yeah. It’s a breath of fresh air for the Nollywood industry. I believe ‘Breadth of Life’ is a film that raised the standard; it raised the bar as far as filmmaking is concerned, as far as storytelling is concerned. It raised the bar for Nollywood, for the Nigeria film industry. It reaches the levels of new Nigerian cinema.
How about the role you played in the movie?
Well, a role is always a role for me. I take each role on its own merit. I approach it according to the script and according to the amount of work I had. And when BB sent me that script, I knew that this is not just a normal religious script ‘come to the church and bla blah bla’. It was a deeply philosophical script and so I enjoyed doing it immensely.
What does this award mean to you considering that you have missed out in a couple of AMVCA nominations in the past?
Well, it’s always good to be recognised by the people in your field. It means a lot and I like to call myself a champion for African cinema. So, to win the Best Lead Actor in Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards, it means you are holding the top position. And I think that’s a wonderful thing; it’s brilliant to be recognised. But I think it also comes with a separate sense of duty to do even better, to achieve even greater height. So, basically from the AMVCA award we then move on to awards outside of the country, recognition outside of the country.
Assomeonewhohasgracedinternationalscenes, compared to what you see in Nollywood in recent time, what major developments fascinate you?
Well we’ve increased the value of the productions because of the equipment that we are using. A lot of companies are now shooting with very high tech candid cameras. They are paying attention to details which we didn’t used to do so before. They are paying attention to location; they paying attention to costumes and production design. So, all of these they are taking us to a place where it’s going to be very difficult to ignore Nigerian cinema worldwide. Also, with the streaming platforms it is a major development and beneficial to the health and to the growth of the industry because they are bringing in much needed liquid capital into the industry. So, they are much needed. But there’s always an advantage and there’s always a disadvantage. I would like a situation where one can sign deals with streamers and still be able to go to cinemas and still be able to go to film festivals. I think you can still do that, but they are limited on certain licensed titles. I think that most films should. I love the art of cinema. I love when group of people will get together to watch a film in a building, or open air. I think that’s important and I would want that to continue. I would want the streaming platforms to support that as well.
Has it always been an easy journey looking
at how you got to where you are now?
No, it’s been a difficult journey. It’s been a long journey; it’s been struggles sometimes but every single time from the moment I decided in my mind I was going to be an actor. And I wanted to be an actor as far back as I can remember. It’s been a rewarding journey. So the rewards have been greater than the pain, struggle, and years of not working or creating own work.
Was there a time you ever felt like quitting?
No. I think there was once or twice when I tried to do something else and I ended up in a shop in London putting prices on the products. I think I lasted one day. There’s another time I tried to sell in the UK, I think I lasted one week. Then I tried working in an office, I think I lasted three days. So, I think my
Can you take us back a bit to the beginning of your acting journey? joking’… but I kept going. Before the college period I got some exposures going to location and all that here. I was a child actor with WNTV Ibadan, and that’s really where my career started at the age of 8.
Well, I would love to go as far back as watching television with my elderly brother, Niyi at one point watching “Combat” which was a war series on TV. Fantastic! I had great childhood. I will say I was So, I used to emulate them, copy them and mimic brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth, probably them. Then sometimes I will be dancing for my mum very spoilt. My mum took me all over the world. And and my dad and the family in the living room and I would go to my father’s side, my grandfather was stuff like that. And then I knew I had a gift for acting royalty in Ibadan. I will go to my mother’s side in Edo when I was doing public speaking when I was at the State, my grandmother and my grandfather were college in England, I started to do public speaking, royalty in the Edo Kingdom. So, wherever I went, I then I got into the school play, then I realised that was just spoilt. My childhood was great and one of ‘you know what I think I would love to do this for the my strongest memories is that my grandmother rest of my life’. That was when I set myself on that on my mother’s side had a hotel called Flamingo path. Then of course everybody thinks ‘you are just Hotel in Ekpoma, in Edo State. And only recently I
How would you describe your childhood?