Decision to quit my last marriage was tough- Ayo Adesanya

 Decision to quit my last marriage was tough- Ayo Adesanya

Beautiful cross over actress, Ayo Adesanya, has sure come a long way. Starting off with a waka pass role in Zeb Ejiro’s ‘Mortal Inheritance’ in the mid-90s, Ayo has gradually moved up the ladder with roles that have made her a household name. She, however, shot into limelight with chart-bursting flick, ‘Out of Bounds’. And from that point, the University of Ibadan Communication and Language graduate has never looked back. Today, Ayo has made a successful cross over from the English language genre to become an A-list actress in the Yoruba genre of the Nigerian movie industry. The overtly daring actress was in the news for the wrong reason few years back when she parted ways with her husband, movie producer, Omogoriola Hassan, after eight years of marriage. In this interview with SEGUN AJIBOYE, the mother of one narrated her experience, why she endured the union for eight years, her eventual decision to quit the marriage and her resolve to put behind her the experience of her crashed marriage among other issues. Excerpts:

You are doing well for yourself, and you seem to have moved on since you split with your ex-hubby.

I give it to God. He has been very good to me. And of course my fans, they are wonderful. It is their support and positive feedbacks that have kept me going on. I have my life, and if you have your life, you just have to move on. So I moved on with my life.

While it lasted, both of you were quite an eye full. How tough was it for to decide to quit the union?

Prolonged laughter…It took me like forever. Sincerely, when I was in the union, I wanted to explore all avenues to make sure it worked. I didn’t want to come out and start regretting. I wanted to check if there was really anything for me in it. But for eight years, I watched and kept thinking if there would be a change. But when I realized that I was losing a lot, not materials stuffs, my dignity, my health and… you see, I was draining by the day. I love acting, it is one of my passions. But I wasn’t getting that. So it got to a point that I needed to take a decision, and that was the point that I quit the union.

You see, I’ve observed that unions between artistes, especially actors and actresses don’t last. What do you think is responsible for this?

I have thought about this issue myself, but I couldn’t really pinpoint a particular reason. But to the best of my knowledge, I think it is because both parties are into the same profession.

Some people have said the marriages break down because of the fake life style of the actresses. How do you view this?

It largely depends on the individual actress. I believe you can be an actress and still live your own life. But if you want to life a fake life style because you feel you are star, then you may have yourself to blame. I think the problem with artistes marrying each other is because of the job. As an artiste, you don’t have your own time because you are always moving from one location to the other. Sometimes, you sleep out. If there is no trust in such union, there will be problem. And men, being what they are, they may begin to suspect their wives of all sorts of things. For the woman, it is her duty to try to make the marriage work. You make sure that you let him know what you are doing and where you are. You have to make sure that he is aware f your whereabouts at all times. But sincerely, some men cannot handle fame. Especially when they realize that their spouse is getting more successful than them. They become jealous of the wife and before you know, he has become another thing. But I believe both parties should be able to share in the success of each other. That way, they would be happy and work for the success of each other.

It’s been four years since you quit your last relationship. Any plan for another?

I’m already in another relationship.

So it may lead to another marriage?

If it comes, then fine.

Are you sacred in any way, I mean because of your last exprience?

I am mature in matters like this. I should not be scared at all. I looked very well before I came into this relationship. I also prayed to God before I went into it, and I actually looked very well before leaping into another relationship. Though I am not saying everything would be perfect, but God has been very good to me.

So it may end in marriage?

Yes, probably. Let’s wait and see.

Your last marriage lasted eight years, which were indeed eight years of your life. What would you say you lost for those eight years?

I lost a lot, especially my work. And this was one of the major reasons why I left. At a point I looked back and realized I was really lagging behind, especially when you compare me with those with whom I started the profession. A lot of things had happened, and even those who came into the industry years after I have started have left me behind. I realized that they have blossomed and gone ahead of me. This happen when I watch television and I see some of my colleagues. At such times, I was like ‘girl, what are you doing wasting away?’ I lost a lot in those eight years. However, in the few years that I have come back to the mainstream, I have recovered most of those things that I lost. I thank God when I realize that I am still relevant. I am sure I am beginning to recover those things that I lost.

I’m sure that you couldn’t have lost everything to the union. What would you say you gained in those eight years?

My son of course! Yes, I think he is the one thing that I took away from the relationship

I think you are now a bit on the plump side. Is this deliberate?

I think so too. I’ve observed that I am putting on weight. Maybe it’s because I’m chopping life. But it’s not that I love it this way, and I am actually working at it, trying to control it.

Your last movie, ‘Amope Alasela’ seems to have done very well. How tough was it producing such movie?

I really thank God for that. I have received positive comments and reviews about the movie, and they have continued to come in. The other day, I was in a bank, and a woman came up to me to give me a peck. She was like, ‘oh, that movie was great.’ I really thank God for all these. I realized how much people have fallen in love with the movie. It was particularly tough for me to play a dual role, one a young housewife, and the other, an old mother-in-law. She was a very funny character who walks in funny way.  Switching the roles was tough and very tasking. One particular incident happened when we were shooting. Something happened to the camera and we didn’t know for two days. We had completed shooting for two days before realizing that the camera only recorded the picture, but had no audio. Even to break the news to me was a tough one. I believe they think I might faint or something if I was told. But eventually, they told me, and we had to go back and take the scenes all over again. Another challenge was the rain. We had several outdoor scenes that we could not shoot for days, waiting and praying that the rain would stop. All these were very challenging. But know that people begin to praise me, I just smile and praise God for His mercies.

How did your acting career start?

I actually didn’t plan to act. I went for a job interview at AIT. I wanted to be a presenter. But while we were waiting, everybody started talking. And there was this guy, his name is Ifeanyi, he started talking about auditioning and all that. At a point, I got interested in the discussion, and I told him I was interested in the auditioning. But it took a month later before the guy showed up in our house. We went to Zeb Ejiro’s office. It was the time he was casting for his movie, ‘Mortal inheritance’, you know Omotola Jalade played the lead in the movie. I was given a script to read. I think I must have performed very funny because everybody laughed. I was eventually given a minor role (waka pass). That same day, we went to Opa Williams’ office. I was also given a script to read, after which I was asked to come back. When I went back the following week, I did one minor role. And they gave me N3000 just like that! I was like ‘oh my God. Is it this easy to make money?’ But in I got the lead role in my next movie, entitled ‘Dry Leaves’. It was also produced by Opa Williams. In 1997, I did ‘Out of bounds’, which featured Richard Mofe-Damijo. You see, I was not meant to play the role. But the lady cast for the role failed to turn up, and I was called on to take her place. The role they gave me was so challenging, and I thought let me just do what I had to do. It was a scene of a woman who tried to commit suicide. I observed that while I did it, everybody just kept mute and didn’t say anything. That was how I got the role. But you see, the funny thing about that job was that I had auditioned for about two or three other roles in the same movie, but I was not giving any of them. But I think God had a surprise for me, which was why the lady that was supposed to play the role failed to show up. It was a major role that got me a nomination, alongside Bimbo Akintola. I also did ‘Most Wanted’, which featured Liz Benson. I went on to television soap when I featured in that popular soap, ‘Palace’.

At what point did you cross over to the Yoruba genre?

My first Yoruba movie was Iru Oka. It featured Ramsey Noah, Shola Shobowale, Jide Kosoko and others. It was an experiment for me, and it worked out well.

How easy was it crossing over from the English language genre to Yoruba language?

It was easy for me. It was just like doing the English movies, except for the proverbs which you have to use correctly. You know that you have to know the proverbs and how to use them correctly. But for me, I speak Yoruba very well. So I didn’t really have any problem doing a Yoruba language movie.

Most of your movies feature violent scenes. Why this?

But these are things happening in our society, and somebody just had to narrate them. The movie, ‘Edun Ara’ was about a group of girls who do ‘runs’. They ran into problem when some money went missing in the house. They were taken away and tortured. But they came back for revenge. These are things that happen every day around us.

Have you done any true-life story?

I have not done any for now, but I am planning to do one very soon. What I do is look at a story and turn it around, making it a big story.

What’s your education like?

Well, I didn’t go beyond the university. I read Communication and Language Art at the University of Ibadan. I did my secondary school at Saint Annes, also in Ibadan.

You grew up in Ibadan. How did this impact on you.

You can say it impacted positively on me and how I speak the Yoruba language.

And being a graduate, would you say this has set you out from the crowd in the industry?

 Yes, it definitely has. Education is a total package. It is added advantage for you, and it makes you relevant at all times. You’ll do a lot of things with education because it gives you the advantage to do things which ordinarily, you wouldn’t be able to do. For example, sometimes in Yoruba movies, you may need to play roles that would demand that you speak both English and Yoruba languages. Being educated sure gives you the advantage to switch between both languages.

How do you handle fame?

I don’t allow fame to get into my head. If you know me well enough, then you’ll know that I’m the type that doesn’t allow such stuffs bother me. I do my things my normal way, and it has always worked for me. I know that if I start thinking or believing that I am in a different world, then I might start having problem. Some of my friends actually call me old woman because they believe that I behave like an old woman. But the truth is that I still hold onto some values, and I try very hard not to lose them. These are values that I live by so that I won’t derail. I do my work and think about how to diversify.

So what is the nastiest role you ever played?

You see, I try to avoid nasty roles. I try to avoid them. I did a movie, entitled Alayonbere. But you see, after I finished reading the script, I was like ‘what kind of person is this character?’ This was because the character ended up sleeping with almost everybody in the neighbourhood. But I love challenges. I try to do challenging stuffs if I want to work.

Would you reject a script?

Sure! I have rejected scripts I found too nasty. I rejected one and I called the writer, and told him he couldn’t possibly shoot the way he wrote the script. I believe it is only an actress that is desperately in search of fame that would take such roles.

How do you handle your male admirers?

I have people who appreciate me. And of course, I also have toasters. But they don’t bother me in any way. I once did a radio programme, and the presenter gave out my phone number. It was serious, because men bombarded me with calls. But I have my own way of warding them off in very polite manner.

We’ve had talks about producers demanding sex from up and coming girls. What kind of experience did you have?

God has always been with me. But in my own case, it has been a miracle. Though actresses have told me that so and so person wanted to do something with them, but it has never happened to me. I am not saying I don’t have toasters as an up and coming actress. As a matter of fact, they were so many. But I got my roles on merit, and not because anybody had to date you or sleep with you. For me, it was like you finish your job, and the producer or director asks you out. Mine was like that, and not the other way round. My belief is that you have to show the world what you have and the role will come.

I’m sure your new man is not an artiste…

Never! He can never be an artiste. I can date in my industry anymore. Never! For balance, you have to go out of the industry to date. For any man to date an actress, he must be mature. There are no two ways to it. The relationship cannot last if the man is not mature.

What is your advice to up and coming actresses?

I have said this several times, the girls need to be patient. There is this kind of race to become a celebrity. Yes, it is good for you to be ambitious. But you need to take your time and gradually step into stardom. It is the only way you can remain at the top. They need to learn, listen and acquire knowledge.

What is your family like?

I grew up with what you’ll call a silver spoon. My father was rich, but we lost him early in life. We are from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State. I am the first of three children.