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By Rita Okoye
Scarlet Gomez is an actress, singer, model, and former beauty queen. In this interview, she speaks candidly about her role in the new cinema project, Behind the Scenes, navigating fame, and other pivotal moments shaping her evolving career. Enjoy!
You did well with your role interpretation in the ‘Behind the Scenes’ movie. How were you able to bring that to life?
First of all, I feel honoured to have been a part of a laudable project as big as ‘Behind the Scenes’ by the Box Office Queen, Funke Akindele, and I am glad lovers of great movies applauded my acting prowess. Also, aside from my giving the audience a great performance, it was equally a joint effort because Aunty Funke is always there to motivate and encourage us, there was never a dull moment on set.
What attracted you to the movie’s script?
Definitely the storyline because it is unique in all areas. I have seen other productions from the Funke Akindele Network, but this particular one is different. We live in a world where a lot of things happen behind closed doors and we still put up smiling faces; those are some of the things you get to see in the movie. There is no dull moment throughout, it is entertaining, preaches love and togetherness and a whole lot.
The casket scene looked so real, how were you able to pull that off?
That is why I am not a stereotyped actor; I am a method actor and what that means is that I should be able to pull off any given role. The casket scene was a challenging one, but I told myself I had to do it and make it real, and then the makeup artist did an exceptional job with the look, and it came out real. Don’t worry, it’s just a movie. This is me.
You must have worked with several producers. What makes working with Funke Akindele different?
Every producer I have worked with is unique in their own right. For me, working with Aunty Funke was like icing on the cake. A lot of people saw the talent, but never considered me for work after a few projects that I have done, like Wura, Labake Olododo and a couple of others. Working with Aunty Funke was an eye-opener; she wears so many crowns on set. Aside from being the producer, they worked around the clock on set, from makeup to reading lines, to costume and a whole lot. She is a disciplinarian on set. When it’s time to joke, we all play, and when it’s time for serious business, you’d better buckle up. This is me saying a big thank you to her for recognising great talent and allowing me to do justice to Aderonke’s role.
What was it like working with other talents on the set of the movie?
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Talent or family member because we all acted as family members who want the project to be successful, so we all brought out A-girl all through the production process. Also, it feels surreal working alongside veterans like Hafeez Oyetoro (Saka), Dele Odule, Fausat Balogun, Ibrahim Chatta and other amazing cast members like Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, Mr Macaroni, amongst others.
As a thespian, what other roles are you looking forward to?
For me, I want to do it all; the more challenging, the better for me, because we are in a country where they get to typecast people, and so they keep giving you that role. But then, Hollywood is the goal, I am not here to play with anyone. I feel that the more you take on challenging roles the better you are. My goal is to put Nigeria on the map, and I have done so in projects I have been involved in, just the recent ‘Behind the Scenes’, and tell people that we are good besides the negative things we are known for.
What is your take on culturally-sensitive content in the industry?
Nollywood has a lot to do in terms of putting our culture on the map. I feel like we still want to do glam, tell foreign stories and be more British than the British, which is impossible. Our cultures are so diverse, we have so many ethnicities and stories that have not been told and until we start telling our stories, we will not be taken seriously.
How are you able to hone your skills?
Nigeria is a place where your skills will be honed naturally. Acting wasn’t something I wanted to do; it is something I stumbled on. It is a means to an end for me. I started acting to pay the bills and eventually I fell in love with it.
What specific challenge would you say the industry is facing right now?
Funding is a huge challenge, to be honest. Also, casting people right for roles. It shouldn’t always be the popular faces we know else the industry will not grow. I have been on set where I saw new faces act, and I stepped back to learn a thing or two from them, and I wonder where these people had been. We need to do better, give people the roles that they deserve and not by who they think is popular and will sell the film.
What has fame taken away from you?
Nothing. I don’t let it take anything from me. For now, I feel like I can still go anywhere I want to go. Maybe because of the kind of person I am, I really do not care what people say. We have very limited time on earth to give a hoot about what people think, because if anything should happen to me tomorrow, life will go on. So, I won’t let people dictate how I live my life.
