By Damilola Fatunmise

Nollywood veteran Bimbo Akintola has established herself as a leading voice in storytelling, particularly for women and girls. Her career, which began with the 1995 film ‘Owo Blow,’ has seen her collaborate with industry icons like Richard Mofe-Damijo in “Out of Bounds” (1997).

A seasoned stage performer, Akintola recently shared insights with The Entertainer on the evolving Nollywood landscape, the fair compensation of Yoruba actors, and her passion for compelling narratives.

What role are you currently playing in the new project, ‘Eeyan Kan’?

I acted as a banker, and a wife in the film. I am the godmother of Mobolaji and from what we have seen from the script, the character is passionate and very honest.

How much of you is in the character you are portraying?

I like to think I’m a hardworking person, and I’m compassionate. We share these attributes. I also like to think that I have a good character, so we share that too.

Does working with Ibrahim Chatta complement your artistic delivery?

Certainly, when you are working with people who are true professionals and are also very talented, it makes your work easier. Acting is about action and reaction. There’s an action and you react to it. When the action is given to you properly, the reaction is real. That is what it means to work with true professionals.

You spoke about professionalism; a lot of people believe that talent is not enough; how true?

I agree, but at the same time, there should be discipline, if you are not disciplined, then your talent can’t sustain you. You can be as talented as anything, but if you are fond of disappointing people, it means you are making people lose money. If you are difficult to work with, then your talent won’t help you. Your talent is useless without discipline and character.

What then attracts you to a production; is it the talents involved or the script?

I think it is both. The story first, then I want to know the quality of the people I will work with at the onset because when you work with professionals, it will be a great time for you.

Have you ever rejected a script, if yes, why?

Yes, I have had reasons to reject scripts. If I don’t believe in the story, if I don’t accept it, then I won’t do it. You know, when we were younger, we had no choice; we did everything because we were trying to survive and make a name for ourselves, so we didn’t have a choice about the scripts. But now, I think we have a responsibility to decide what we want. No matter how the negative scenes you see at the beginning of a movie, it always ends with what should be done to make things right. They will tell you that if you follow a particular path, you will end up in hell fire and I like that. It’s like tales of what could go wrong in your life if you do things the wrong way.

Having been in the industry for long, how does it feel when you transcend from one character to another?

I don’t think being an actor means portraying only one character. I think you should be dynamic. That’s why I love Ibrahim Chatta. He is so amazing at what he does. That is why I also love Gabriel Afolayan. They effortlessly move from one character to another.

As a thespian, what are some of the remarkable changes you are proud of in Nollywood?

I love the fact that we have gained, not just international fame, but we have a lot of international bodies within Nigeria who are willing to work with us; who want to be part of us. I think now it’s good. The sort of improvement that we see now is because they have invested heavily in the industry, so we have grown technically. But acting-wise, I feel we used to have more true actors than we have now; not that there are no talents now, we still have many talents in the industry. Look at those who won the AMVCA Awards; they are amazing. I have worked with them, and it’s always been amazing.

Do you think creativity should be judged by the number of awards someone wins?

No, because an award is not a true picture of what is obtained. You have to understand that when it comes to audience picking their own choices, it’s not based on the criteria that the industry would put on it. It’s just based on who they are more attracted to.

What does favourite mean in terms of film?

Some people will say they like me because of the way I speak, that’s because they want to speak like me. Some people want to look like certain people; some people want to date certain people.  Those are not the criteria for real talents, but it’s a criterion on a certain level for how popular they are.

You have delivered a lot of stage performances; which one is more comfortable for you, between stage play and film?

I’m happy to do all. They are different media. In this stage, there is that adrenaline because you get your feedback immediately, and you will know if people like it or identify with it immediately. I love both.

You act well in both the English and Yoruba genres of Nollywood; why do you think people run from the Yoruba Nollywood genre?

They run because the pay is lower than that of the English genre, and it’s very annoying because we have a lot of massive talents there who deserve to be paid what they are worth.

Where then, do you think these changes can come from?

The changes start from those in the industry. They should imbibe the culture of paying talents right so that the disparity between the English and Yoruba actors doesn’t become the usual conversation because it offends me so much. If you look at the Yoruba film industry, I believe that they are more talented and they are rich in content, so the actors deserve good pay too. Nobody deserves to die in penury.

How are you able to keep fit?

I love my age. I read and cook. If you see me sitting down to watch a movie, look at my iPad, I’m reading.

If you were to write a book about yourself, what would be the title and why?

The title will be ‘Living without apologies’ because I’ve tried to live my life without listening to naysayers. I like to just live my life and be true to God. You can never satisfy others, so don’t try. Satisfy what you came to earth to do and be true to God. If you are not true to God every other thing is useless.

How do you deal with trolls?

I don’t answer them. I feel like a lot of people don’t know the things they say. I read some things that some people say about other people and you must have mental issues to be that interested in the life of someone else. You must be having deep-rooted mental issues for you to be so passionate about my life or about someone else’s life and actors you don’t know. What would you be adding to someone else’s mental stress? They are miserable in their lives that are the way I see it. I don’t reply to them. I used to block them, but now I don’t bother, I just ignore them. I’m not a social media person, and if you see me there, then I must be watching videos on TikTok. I barely watch movies because on TikTok I watch videos and I laugh. I usually read.

What advice do you have for filmmakers who look up to you?

Well, don’t try to be like me, try to be better than me. If you believe you are an actor and you have the talent, then get that polish and then be dedicated and passionate, do it to the best of your ability and with all your heart.