Crazitive African Magazine Issue 11: The Bestie Situation | Page 7

CAM: What do you think is the future of film making in Africa? WO: It's bright, it's really bright. First of all, you can never rule out Nigeria when it comes to anything even though the current state of our economy is just very wobbly and you can’t rule us out let alone Africa, that'd just be a very ridiculous thing to do. But, I'd like to admit that the growth we'd like to see is not what we're seeing but however, there’s a slow progress and the future looks bright so all we just have to do is keep doing what we do, keep getting better at what we're doing, keep getting better training, keep improving our skill and I'm very sure we will start competing on an international scale pretty soon. CAM: What are the challenges in your pursuit and how did you go about solving them? WO: There are so many challenges but first thing I'd like to tell people who want to consider a career in acting is to prep their mind, it's not as rosy as people think it is. Then, there’s a certain level of expectation that comes with being in front of the screen, It's not particularly right. It's not a written rule, it's something that's just there, people expect a certain thing from you when you’re been celebrated let alone appearing on the screen as an actor and you've probably influenced their lives in different ways. We aim to influence peoples lives for good, you can imagine, there's a certain expectation. I'd not tell you to tailor or fit your life to the expectation of people but you should also know that when you get to a certain level in life, you command a certain reach and a number of people, you’re responsible for a lot of your actions and how people see you. In as much as you want to live your life, you also know that choosing this certain life comes with this number of demand so that's quite challenging and if you’re not prepped for it, you'd get soaked in and probably implode. CAM: Any plans to star in movies beyond the shores of Nigeria and Africa? WO: That's like asking a doctor ,’any plans of becoming an internationally acclaimed doctor’. Everybody wants to do well in whatever trade be it a carpenter or a plumber or a soldier or a doctor or a lawyer. You want to operate on an international scale because it only means that you’re getting better at what you’re doing and you're getting international recognition. Same for me, I'm a Nigerian actor and definitely would like put my trade on an international scale so it's just one step at a time. If that opportunity presents itself, of course, I’d grab it with both hands. CAM: What advice do you have for upcoming Crazitive Africans? WO: I'd say stay grounded, get training, and believe in yourself yourself. Do not wait for people to do things for you, do not wait for things to happen, you've to apply yourself. If you believe you've this talent, you need to train yourself to a certain level of believability where your abilities are seen and people are like, OK, we acknowledge this. Uhhh, yeah, apply yourself and you'd be fine.