Interviews | 25 August 2015 21:42 CET

Jobs Scarce In Nollywood Now—Funsho Adeolu Cries Out

Nollywood actor, Funsho Adeolu, in an exclusive interview with Nollywoodgists.com has disclosed that acting has not really paid his bills like before. He told us that he has remained in the profession because of his passion for it.

The actor, who in his opinion described celebs flaunting their wealth on social media as fake, also pointed out that such actions only put their lives at risk.

Your face has been scarce lately, any reason for it?
Well, you are right, seriously, the jobs are not like the way it used to be. Though I have been moving from one location to another, but the roles are not just coming and we need to do something about it.

Asides acting, what else do you do?

I'm into entertainment generally, that is really my calling. Apart from that, I'm a church person.

How does your family cope with your absence from home?

Ah, that is why she is my wife now; she is supposed to take care of the home while I go outside to make money, but anytime I am less busy, I am always at home. Like now, I have been at home for some days and I play with my kids.

How were you able to convince her to marry you?

She met me as an entertainer and she was behind the camera too and so we became friends for eight years and we were doing it together (acting) behind the camera and she was a welfare manager, continuity person and that was how it started and here we are.

With your black belt in Taekwondo, do you fight?

No, I don't fight. If are really trained as a Taekwondo person, you don't fight; it's supposed to be in self-defence and for entertainment and I have not had any cause to defend myself because nobody has attacked me. But I still train till date just to make myself flexible and I do that in my house, not at the stadium.

Is any of your children also in the entertainment industry?

Yeah, my first son is towing that line somehow but I just feel when he gets to a particular age, that is when he can decide for himself. Right now, I know he likes to act, he does it in school, he plays instruments in school and he is a Taekwondo person too.

What is your opinion on s3x for movie roles?

Well, s3x is an intimate thing and it shouldn't come into whether you want to act or not. But looking at it, you cannot do without that in Nigeria. Everywhere in the world, it happens in every industry but if you know what if you are skilled and you have something to show, then nobody will tell you until I have s3x with you before you can get a job. Because if you are seated on table of panel and others don't like you, someone else will see the skills in you and pick you. So, I'm just saying that if you go to the right place, people will see you and you don't need to be slept with before you get a role.

You said the scripts are not coming and some say the payment is not cool, why are you still there?

I think it's just the passion that we still have, whether it is paying like it used to be or not, we must act; that's the way it is because some of us started not with money because we had this passion for it and yet, we still get paid. But it might not be like the way it used to be. Aside that, I do some other things; MC jobs and other events.

Why don't you live a flashy lifestyle like others?

Maybe because I'm just original; that's why. I'm real and not a fake person. I live my life for myself and God I don't live it for any human being.

So you mean celebs live fake lives?

All of them live fake lives, all of them that you see flaunting their wealth. Generally, it is a thing of the industry and you need to make the people see you all the time, but when they see you flaunting cars and other things, you are endangering yourself and your family. Some people will see that and say ok, let me go and steal it.

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