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Monday 12 August 2013

Tinsel is Nigeria’s best TV production — Victor Olaotan

Victor Olaotan plays the lead role as the character of Fred Ade-Williams in popular television series, Tinsel. He speaks with JOAN OMIONAWELE on his childhood, journey through life and career. Excerpts
You were a broadcaster for a while before you moved into acting. Why the u-turn?
Well, I have always been an actor. I had my first breakthrough in acting in 1959. My official professionalism was shown in 1974. It was entitled Candle in the Wind and it was the first television movie on Nigerian television.

How and why were you chosen for the lead role in Tinsel?
It was just grace. I understand over 500 people auditioned for the role, but I was chosen. I was surprised because I am an actor that do not jump all over the place to get my face seen, and I had left the industry for over 20 years sojourning in the United States. I have been in the industry for a while. A reporter was talking to me sometime ago and asked ‘Don’t you consider yourself lucky? You just came into the industry and you are at the top!’ I said, ‘Is that so?’ It has nothing to do with me being a fantastic actor or being special. 

So you don’t consider yourself a fantastic actor?
Not yet.

When would you be one?
Maybe when you see me in Hollywood...

Are you going back to the United States?
No, I have plans to work from here.

When you came back to Nigeria, was it easy for you to adjust and get a job? What was the transition process like?
By the way, at the time I returned, I was running an engineering company in Nigeria where I trained computer Engineers. I had to close it because Tinsel is a full time job as we have to get to work by 6am and leave by 7-8pm, and sometimes 10 or 11 depending on how many scenes we have to shoot.

That means you are getting a very fat pay
This might sound funny, but Tinsel is not really about the money; (it’s about) the platform it gives. It gives you an international platform as it’s transmitting in 47 countries in Africa, in Britain, France and in the United States and Asia. There is no platform that equals that. If you come to Tinsel to think you are coming to make big bucks, you will be totally disappointed. You have to think more of your career.

What do you derive from acting?
Acting gives me a lot of joy and pleasure. I am a director by training and an actor by profession.

Who was the first woman you ever fell in love with?
(Laughs) Where did you get that question from? I was a mass server because I was born a Catholic, and there was this girl in the choir then and I had my eyes for her on the altar...

What if the Reverend Father had caught you?
‘Forgive me Father’ (laughs).

What were the pranks you played as a kid?
I played a lot of pranks. I played so much pranks that when my father died in 1968, my family decided to transfer me to Ilesa to school there. They could not control me; my father was the only one who could, as he was a police officer. So, I was sent to stay with my uncle, who was also trained by my father.

We have reports that it is very difficult for people to get roles in Tinsel. Why is this so?
As I said earlier, there are young people who want the platform, and once the bells of auditions are rung, probably the whole Lagos wants to come. Everyone wants to be part of something that is good. I think Tinsel is the best TV production on Nigerian television.

You dumped the media for acting. Is acting more lucrative than the media?
Technically, yes; but given the Nigerian factor, there are so many factors involved. How you make it or not depends on how you play the game.
There is Nollywood, mainly controlled by the Igbo people; and most of the time, they would rather have their own people being the stars. And I love that because that is their way of bringing people up. The industry (acting) was mainly controlled by mainly Yoruba in the past. We had Moses Olaiya, Baba Sala, Duro Ladipo, Kola Ogunmola as the stars of the industry back then. But now, the Igbo boys have made a lot of money for themselves. We also have the Hausa industry, which is even bigger than the Igbo. They have a channel on DSTV, which the Igbo have not been able to get.  And then, you being an actor, some of the good stuff that you have put out there would make people want to work with you; your attitude and character would make people want to work with you. When people know that you are a professional, they want to work with you.
But sometimes, the finances are not so encouraging for some actors. One can do 50 movies and may not be able to buy a brand new car, because each movie doesn’t fetch much. In a professional environment, you find people who do just one movie and they might not have to do anything else in their lifetime. When Tom Cruise did Mission Impossible, the first pay he got was $45 million. Imagine me getting $45 million. I don’t need to do any other movie for the rest of the life that I have left (laughs).
We also don’t have very wealthy producers in Nigeria; everybody shoots a movie and says it’s a low budget movie. You never hear a producer say this movie is $500 million; we want to do everything it takes. We never hear that. They will beg you to bring your pay down. At the end of the day, you work very hard.

Why did you leave ‘the good life’, as it is the general notion that when one is abroad, they are automatically rich. Is it not better there than here?
If you stay in a country for over 20 years and you are not fulfilled in what you are doing, then you need to find greener pastures. When I was in high school, initially I was playing football. But drama has always been my first love. I did not intend spending that long abroad. They used to tell me Nigeria’s economy was poor, but I was seeing all my friends becoming big. I used to know Mike Adenuga when he was younger. He used to sell radios in Dugbe back then, and I said if people in Nigeria can become that wealthy, there must be something there. To be realistic, there is more wealth in Nigeria than in the US for a Nigerian. I had done it all in the United States. So I decided to come back home.

Not much has been heard about your family? Did you leave them there?
Some of them are here, but I have most of them back there.

What was growing up like?
I come from a Christian home. In my home, we had a shrine. Our great grandfather worshipped Ogun and Sango and the rest. My father had some pigeons which he named Jacob, and whenever he said ‘Jacob’, they all flew to him. When he died, they disappeared. He was a staunch Catholic and never missed the 5 ‘o’clock mass though. The funny thing about life is that as much as we are Christians, some of us are still very superstitious.
I come from a very disciplined home. My dad made sure we were very neat and ensured we had good education. In fact, my primary school curriculum is better than most secondary school curricular today. It’s really unfortunate. My dad was very mean, in a good way, because he made sure everything had to be right. Part of it rubbed off on me.

Did your father force you to worship at the shrine?
No, he never did.

What were the things he used to do at the shrine?
He would go there, spill the blood of one of his pigeons on the ground and pray against enemies.

People say you are a ‘ladies man’. Is that true?
That’s a lie; I’m a serious person. I don’t mess around, and if ladies like me, I don’t fall for their antics. I have been tried several times. Maybe when I was younger, I could easily get attracted to women, but these days, I don’t even look at them.

How do you manage stress?
I play tennis at the Country Club and I had someone teaching me Kung fu at a point. I also take my children out and we swim and play. I club a little; that is when we go for an award and we will end up in the club or an after-party.

Your wife doesn’t complain?
 My wife is in the industry too. She knows what I do.

 Are you fulfilled as an actor, as a man?
Yes, I thank God. I have a good wife. I have beautiful children. I think I have a special gene. My daughters are very beautiful and my sons are very handsome. I am blessed. The only thing that is missing in my life is Hollywood.
SOURCE: TRIBUNE 

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