Veteran Actor, OLU JACOBS Shares His Nollywood Story, Says: 'At a Point, I Had to Choose Between My Wife and My Career'

Foremost actor, Olu Jacobs, shares his experiences with ’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO of PUNCH newspapers.

At 70, you are still strong and agile. What is the secret?

I suppose it is because I live each day at a time and I don’t worry about what happens in future because tomorrow will sort out itself. It took me a while to learn to do that. The moment you understand this, you can do nothing but prepare for the future. That is all I have been doing.
Does it mean that you don’t let anything bother you?

I try not to let anything bother me. I try to control the things that are within my power. But I try to make sure that the things that are beyond my control are as painless as possible. At the same time, I always try to find plausible ways to handle them.

Do you sometimes feel that you could have chosen another career other than acting?

I don’t think there is any other job that I would have liked to do. I don’t think I would have liked any job that would take me away from the public. I enjoy making people happy. Their laughter disarms me. I really enjoy seeing people happy. With this job, I am able to make them laugh as often as possible. I don’t know any other job that would have given me this opportunity.

Aren’t you worried that you can’t walk freely on the street without being stopped by your fans?

They didn’t ask me to invade their lives. I enter their homes and they like the way I do it. How can I say I am tired? I cannot be tired. I would rather be surrounded by fans and be greeted every second. It excites me. Do you know what it means for somebody to feel so strongly about you and even come to hold your hand? I was in London recently and it was worse. Some fans saw me and screamed. They held my hands and prayed for me. It was wonderful. How can I deny somebody attention when it affects his or her life? I can never be tired.

Are you thinking of retiring soon?

There is always a role for everybody from the cradle till they get old. So, where am I retiring to? As long as I am fit and able, I will continue. I will slow down a bit, no doubt, but I can’t retire.

What motivated you to become an actor?

In my secondary school days, our principal used to say, ‘Seize the opportunity.’ There is nothing difficult that cannot be made easy if you are interested. I was brought up in the Anglican Church and I had relations who were members of Cherubim and Seraphim. When they held their harvest thanksgiving service, we would attend. They were doing more music than we were. It was fun and I always looked forward to it. I always wanted to participate in their activities. I was born in Kano. When I was seven, I was sent on an errand and I saw this big lorry with music blasting from it. The passengers were sharing fliers. They threw one at me. When the road cleared, I picked it up and put it in my pocket. I gave it to my mother and I told her that it would be nice to attend the event written on it. She said it was alright as long as I finished doing my chores. She listed a few things for me to do. In no time, I finished my tasks. When she inspected them, she was shocked. I reminded her about the flier. She ignored me. But behind me, she went to my father and told him about it. She told my father that I had done everything I was supposed to do in the house. Then he asked her to tell all of us to get ready for the event. The event was Ogunde Dance. The flier indicated the venue where the group would be performing. They played in Colonial Hotel, which was situated in the Sabon-Gari area. The same hotel has been renamed Paradise Hotel. In those days, there were no theatres. But the hall where the event took place was very big and beautiful. The place was crowded. Our seats were not too far from the stage. I was looking at everybody. The lights went off and the spotlight came on. They started the opening glee with a dance. The dance was beautiful. I was very excited. Then, the play started. It was wonderful. You cannot explain it. It was incredible what people were feeling. I just said to myself, ‘This is what I would like to do.’ I couldn’t sleep for days. I kept replaying everything in my mind. I was still in school then. I was a Boy Scout, an altar boy, and a member of the choir. I told my father that I was going to act. He waved me aside, wondering aloud how a mere hobby could become a full-time job. He told me not to worry, that I would outgrow it.

Tell us about life in primary and secondary school.

It was fun. I had a teacher. She was very beautiful. I had a crush on her. One day, she came to our house in company with a young man. She introduced him to my parents as her fiancé. I was angry. I was in her class. I vowed never to have anything to do with her. I stopped attending her classes. If I was in the class when she came in, I would leave the class. She had to come and report this to my parents. They called me and I said there was no problem between us. My younger sister now opened the lid. She said it was because of my teacher’s boyfriend. They couldn’t do anything about it and I was very angry. They eventually got married and we all became friends.

How did your father react to your decision to study drama at the Royal Academy in London?

It wasn’t easy. I was about 22 years then. I took a guarantor’s form to my father and he tore it up. He told me that I wasn’t going abroad since my brothers were already there. I was shocked. I went to meet his brother (my uncle) and connived with him. I collected another form and took it to my uncle who signed it. I applied for passport and visa and I got them. I told my mother. She asked me if this was what I really wanted. I said yes. She prayed for me and gave me her blessings. The following morning, I saw my father and greeted him. Everything was normal. I did my normal chores. Later, I sneaked to the train station. I took a train from Kano to Lagos. That same night as I got to Lagos, I went to the airport and left the shores of Nigeria for England. Everything had already been planned. My brothers were expecting me.

Did your father forgive you for disobeying him?

Yes, he did. A friend of ours was returning to Nigeria. I bought pipes and the best tobacco for him. My brothers tried to discourage me because they felt my father wouldn’t listen to me. I told them not to worry, that I knew my father was a smoker and he would love the gifts. I sent a letter with the gifts. Eventually, my friend went home and delivered the message. I asked him how my father received the message and gifts. He said that my dad was initially upset. But 10 minutes after opening the parcel, he saw the pipes and tobacco and was excited. My friend said Dad just filled the pipes with the tobacco and started smoking it. That was when he finally asked my friend how I was faring. I wrote to him again and he replied. He didn’t say anything other than that he wanted to know if I was okay. He didn’t come out straight to say he had forgiven me, but I knew he had done so. We never talked about it again.

How did you cope with the pressure of training as an actor in England?

My brothers could not be of help to me because they didn’t belong to the profession. I was left to find my way. A vendor told me about an entertainment magazine when I was trying to get a job. I thought that I had found the solution to my problems; I didn’t know it was just the beginning. I found out that to become an actor in the UK, you had to join the Equity. But you could not become a member if you didn’t have a job. You could not get a job if you had no agent. And no agent would accept you because his books were already filled. I had nowhere to go. I tried my best. A black actor, who was a friend of mine, had already become a member of the Equity. He was going to attend an audition the next day. He told me about it and I was very happy for him. Wondering when I would ever get such an opportunity, I begged him if I could accompany him to the auditioning. He said I should come. He gave me the address and the time for the auditioning. I was the first person to arrive at the venue of the event. Eventually, a white man came. He brought a piece of paper and said I should write my name and my telephone number. Aware that I was the first person on the list to be auditioned, I was very nervous. I almost couldn’t write my name. Finally, the director arrived and I was called. I guess I did well. The director said I should give them my agent’s name and address so that they would contact the person. I saw my friend when I was through. He had yet to be auditioned. I told him I had got the job. I begged him to give me his agent’s number since I didn’t have one. He gave it to me. I went to the nearest telephone booth and I phoned the agent. A lady answered the phone and I introduced myself. I told her I just had an audition with the BBC and I gave her name as my agent. I asked her to give me her office address so I could come and give her all my details. She did. When I got there, she was already outside. She was curious. She said she wanted to meet me. That was the beginning of my journey as a professional.

Was the journey easy?

There were so many people chasing the same thing. I asked myself why I had to sit in London when there were other jobs outside London. Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, and other cities had theatres. So, why should I kill myself in London? Come to think of it, how many of those theatres were built for blacks? I told my agent that I would like to go away from London. He was so happy. I was the first actor that ever told him he wanted to leave London. He supported me. He used to come everywhere to watch my plays. My leaving London paid off very handsomely. I eventually came back to London. I no longer attended auditions, but interviews. People were now the ones calling me. My ability was no longer in doubt and I also had the right attitude. Even when I was acting, I was getting busy with TV and radio.

Why did you return to Nigeria?

I sat back and watched. Then I saw that there wasn’t much hope for a black actor in England; not at that time, at least.

Even after you had appeared in movies like Dogs of War and Ashanti?

How many times would I get the opportunity to appear in such movies? I didn’t want to be carried away by the euphoria. I decided to come back home. Some people came from the USA to meet me. They wanted me to come and perform on the stage over there. But they didn’t offer me any definite thing. The only thing definite was teaching the master’s degree class in acting and voice. I couldn’t take it. I had to go home. At least I understood the language. There is nothing they have overseas that we don’t have. We only need to develop what belongs to us.

Your first production was Third Eye. Were you involved in another thing before the series?

The first major production was Third Eye. I believe in law and order. Any country that wishes to succeed must have law and order. We need to show how police can be your friend. You tell their story through television. Every country has such law and order series. We had to tell our stories. We succeeded at a point, with the PHCN permitting us.

Also, you became a part of Nollywood,

I didn’t need to become a part of Nollywood. We are Nollywood. What we were doing suddenly got a name. People can call it any name. But really, what Nollywood means is actually ‘Not Hollywood.’ The New York Times sent a reporter to Nigeria to find out about this phenomenon. He interviewed me and we discussed at length. But it doesn’t matter what anybody calls it. The demand for movies was there. Our people abroad were missing home. Whenever you travel overseas, the first question that they ask you is if you have brought some movies from Nigeria. It didn’t come as a surprise that the industry became successful. Other blacks started doing what we are doing. We started telling our stories ourselves. It is having a positive effect on the young ones and it is giving the older ones the assurance that all hope is not lost.

Was that why you established the Olufodo Academy?

It is like demand and supply. When demand for artistes is very high and you want this industry to survive, then people must be prepared in such a way that the quality can be maintained and improved upon. We must continue to think of how the next generation of actors will emerge and how to maintain them.

After training at the Royal Academy, did you think of getting more education?

No. I attended more workshops. I had a regular voice teacher and acting teacher during the period I stayed in London. Before any job, my teacher and I would look at it and go through it before proceeding on the production. That you are a professional doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train again. You have to train every time.

Since you spent such a long time in England, why didn’t you marry a white woman?

I couldn’t. I am too sensitive. How would I have coped? So, after talking to my relatives and brothers, I would turn to my wife and interpret what we said? No. I didn’t want that.

So you deliberately married an actress?

Yes. It was by choice. When I was much younger, I had thought that getting married to somebody in the same profession would not be possible. I didn’t want it because the woman would be travelling all the time. But when it happened, it happened. We don’t usually look inwards.

Did you meet her on the job?

Yes. I was invited to come and produce and direct a play at the National Theatre. We were having a production meeting. The production was to celebrate Nigeria’s 21st independence anniversary. During the meeting, somebody opened the door and I looked and I saw her. I told the people I was meeting with that I had found the woman I was going to marry. She looked at me from head to toe. But, in less than five years, we got married.

You didn’t marry early.

No. I was married to my job. It was a decision I had to take. I couldn’t marry two wives. I had to choose one. I had to choose my job in order to secure it first so that it would benefit me and my wife. I don’t think I have any regret marrying late. I had a wonderful time.

Sometime ago, it was rumoured that you were dead and that you were separated from your wife. How did you feel when you heard the rumours or read about them?

Sometimes it is misunderstood and misinterpreted. Sometimes, it is deliberate sensationalism. Somebody who never phoned me before called to ask if I was alright. She asked if everything was okay. The next person called to tell me about somebody dying. That is just it.

How did you feel when the Federal Government gave you a national award?

I felt humbled. I didn’t work for any reward. I just wanted to be able to feed my family. I just feel humbled by it.

What more do you hope to achieve?

My blood is as hot as it was when I was young. I am still going to keep on acting. I am talking to producers now. I haven’t done anything in a while. I have been busy since the beginning of the year. Since then, they have been calling. Soon, I shall start work.

Culled from PUNCH