The Yoruba movie industry is blessed with many excellent actors and actresses like Jide Kosoko, Dele Odule, Yinka Quadri, Adebayo Salami, Taiwo Hassan, Bukky Wright, Shola Shobowale, Binta Ayo Mogaji, and several others.
In recent times, some notable younger ones have also shown their talents in the industry. They include Toyin Aimakhu, Biodun Okeowo, Bimbo Oshin, Eniola Bhadmus, Funke Akindele, Mercy Aigbe, Iyabo Ojo, Dayo Amusa, Fathia Balogun, Femi Adebayo, Yomi Fash-Lanso, Muyiwa Ademola, Odunlade Adekola, and Saheed Balogun, just to mention a few.
The Entertainer recently discovered yet another up-comer in pretty and talented Tope Osoba. Since her arrival on the scene a few years ago, the new kid on the block has dazzled in hit flicks like Igboro Ti Daru produced by late Bisi Komolafe, Gucci Girls by Mercy Aigbe, Oga Sailor by Lola His Grace, Arinzo from the stable of Iyabo Ojo and many more.
In this no-holds-barred interview that lasted 90 minutes, the busty thespian opened up on her career, love life and other issues. Excerpts:
Can you briefly tell us your background?
My name is Temitope Osoba, a graduate of Business Education from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State.
How did you get into acting?
Acting wasn’t something I had intentions of doing. I was initially a dancer. Cultural and hip hop dancer while in school. I actually started dancing professionally before I got into school. My acting career came by luck because I had to feature in a Yoruba dance movie, Ijo Ya produced by Laide Bakare in 2005. It was a dance movie. I danced and acted in the movie as well.
Did you ever dance for any popular artiste?
I used to be Weird MC’s dancer and I did that for a year because I had to go back to school. I couldn’t keep up with the rehearsals. I did a couple of videos for her. Then, I did videos for Olu Maintain, Adewale Ayuba and Pasuma’s High Level and Joker.
What fascinated you about acting?
Generally I like entertainment. I love singing, dancing, acting and anything that has to do with entertainment. I didn’t have a problem with it. I was asked by a movie director to do something for him in order to convince him to play a role. I just played a CD of Weird MC and I did the choreography of what we have done before and he said ‘that is your script, go and read it’. I read it and I discovered it was a sub-lead for the first time. That was how I got it and from then, I started full time.
What year did you start dancing?
I started from 2004 to 2005 when I did Ijo Ya. But I preferred acting. Not that I was discouraged but you know how our society is, especially when you dance for these fuji artistes, they see you as something else. I didn’t want to be seen as a wayward girl so I decided to face acting.
When did you face acting fully?
I started acting from 2005. After Ijo Ya, I did a couple of movies. I featured in Ayo Adesanya’s Anu Oju. It was like my second major movie. In 2009, I now did Ogun Mi (My Sweat) by Dayo Amusa. That was what pushed me out and people started recognising me.
When did Igboro Ti Daru come into the picture?
It was two years ago. The late Bisi Komolafe produced it.
What role did you play in the movie?
I acted as a stripper. We were supposed to be strippers but we didn’t strip anyway. Three young girls graduated, no jobs, they saw this poster that says if you know you are beautiful and you can dance, come for auditioning. We went for auditioning and at the end of the day, when they chose us, they informed us that this is a strip club and we were not willing to do it at first but we soon began dancing after we knew what they were offering us. It included N300, 000 monthly, a three bedroom flat apartment and a brand new car, among other goodies. Bisi Komolafe was my very good friend. We met on the movie location of Tipa Tikuku (By Fire by Force) by Damola Latunji.
Can you strip in real life?
I cannot. We didn’t strip in the movie; we were just wearing short dresses. My family members are watching, my friends are watching. I’m sure there is no dad or aunty that would see his niece doing that and would be happy. Regardless of the offer, I will never strip.
Talking about family, let us look at your family. Did they endorse your coming into acting?
I am actually an orphan. I had support from my aunty, uncles, cousins and grand parents. They were not against me going into entertainment.
Did they prefer acting to dancing?
Yes. While I was dancing, they were not against it but they love acting more for me.
If your parents were to be alive, are you sure they would approve of your acting career?
When my dad was alive, he was a strict man. My mum would have no problem; she would have loved my going into acting but my dad, never ever.
When did your parents die?
I lost my dad in 2000. He was assassinated in Lagos. I was about 17 then. I lost my mum in 2003. I am the only child of my mum but from my dad, I had three other half sisters. We are all four girls. My mum was ill but I was told she had cancer. Later, I found out that there was more to it than just cancer, maybe they didn’t want to let me know.
How is life as an orphan?
It was really hard. I am not going to lie. It is not easy not having both parents. You get pushed to do so many things but when you think of the home you are coming from, you realise you don’t have to do things you are not supposed to do. You are not going to go hungry. Right now, it can’t be so bad that I cannot go and meet somebody to ask for assistance and I would not get but it is not easy.
As an orphan, how did you pay your way through school?
It was through dancing and with the support of my paternal grandmother.
What did you miss most about your parents, especially your mum?
I wasn’t really close to my mum because I didn’t live with her. When I started living with her wasn’t so long before she died. I look like my mum a lot and I miss her so much because she was my best friend. I talk to her, we do things together. My mum will be dressing up in the room and she would ask me how she looked. We were very close. She was bigger than me in size.
Now that stardom is fast beckoning, what do you miss most about her?
I miss her support. I know that if she were alive, she would have been here with me.
Did you take to dancing based on passion or merely to survive?
I have passion for dancing and entertainment in general. I wanted to do something I like. Before I started dancing, I had done a billboard advert for ‘MTN-Life is Beautiful’. While I was a dancer, I also did a project for Econet. With the money I got, I was able to get myself into school. It was because I have passion for dancing and not because of my condition.
As an actress, what would you say has been your biggest challenge?
For now, I have not really seen anything too hard for me to handle, I’m enjoying myself while doing my job.
Not even harassment from producers?
That one is inevitable.
We would like to know how you are coping with harassments as a beautiful up and coming actress?
I have this believe that I am going to make it in the Yoruba movie industry. I don’t have to sleep my way to fame, that is not in my character. No, I have not dated any of my colleagues, but I am very close to most of them. I have toasters though. It is normal.
How do I handle them? It is just a normal thing. Simple.
Can you marry an actor or a producer?
I don’t know because I am in a relationship now and then, why would I want to date a producer or actor?
What if you are not in a relationship, do you think you can end up marrying somebody in the industry?
No. We do the same job and there is no time.
Is your guy not scared that the lady he wants to marry is in Nollywood?
He is very scared.
Has he told you to quit?
Yes, in fact, we have talked about it severally especially when he sees me on TV with a guy in a romantic position but I keep telling him that I am the one there. I can tell you our body contact is not that close, but because you are watching it on TV, it will look like he is touching me but he is not. My guy is scared.
Can anything make you quit acting?
No. Nothing.
Even if your guy says we are getting married but I don’t want you to do this again?
It is my job. I love my job. He should understand. We are going to sit down and talk about it. This is something that brings food to my table and above all, gives me joy.
What if he gets you another job in a bank or any other sector aside entertainment?
Maybe, but I am not going to leave my acting career. I may not be on screen but I might be producing. I hope to be a marketer someday.
How long have you been dating your guy?
We have been dating for three years now.
What got you attracted to him?
It was very mutual. Funny enough, we attended the same university but we never met in school. He knew me all the while we were in school but I never knew him. He graduated two years before I finished.
How did he win your heart?
I guess he is just the kind of guy I like. I don’t like guys that are too handsome and I don’t like ugly guys too. When he is too handsome, it is wahala, so, let it be my own taste, so when another girl sees him, she will leave him alone for me.
Have you produced any movie in the industry?
Not yet but I have stories already. I want to produce this year but I need financial breakthrough to do that.
Collectively, how many movies have you featured in?
I have featured in over 20 movies if I am not exaggerating and the bulk of them are supporting leads and sub-leads.
You feature only in Yoruba movies?
No, I also do English soap operas, I featured in Shadows.
It’s like the Yoruba movie jobs are coming more?
I am not going to say they are coming more, I would say so because I started with Yoruba movies, so I got into Yoruba more, I later realised that it’s kind of hard for you to get into the English movie industry when you are a Yoruba girl. That is what I heard.
Have you experienced it before?
Not really.
You are one of the newest faces in the Yoruba movie industry making waves, what stands you out from the many fresh talents in the industry?
Being real. I am very real. I am very natural, I am myself. I’m just a simple person and I don’t dress to impress. That is just me.
Who are those people that have influenced your career?
I have a lot of people who have been good to me but I would mention a few like Ayo Adesanya, Yomi Fash-Lanso, Bimbo Oshin and Eniola Bhadmus. Bhadmus is a sister. I have known her before I came into the industry. There are a lot of them.
When men see you, what do they find most attractive about you?
When they look at me, they just see the whole of me and they go, ‘my God she is beautiful’.
The crazy ones, don’t they talk about your boobs?
They do. They should like it. It doesn’t look bad.
Is it real or artificial?
It is real. 100 percent real, no enlargements or artificial stuffs inside.
Which part of your body do you consider the sexiest?
The truth is that I see the whole of me as being sexy.
There must be a unique part of your body that even your man tells you?
There is no particular thing he says. He says everything.
What about the average man that sees you on the street?
They tell me I look good, nice shape, nice set of teeth et al.
How often do they commend your boobs?
A lot of people like my boobs.
Have the boobs given you some lead roles in the industry?
We only showed more of cleavages in Tekun Teje produced by Lola, a marketer. I did lap dancing too in the movie. My sexy boobs and fine body got me the lead role.
Can you bare your boobs in a movie?
I cannot show more than the cleavages in a movie.
You have a lot of tattoos on your body. How many are they and where are they located?
I have eight tattoos. I have on my wrist, across my arm, stars on my neck, my mum’s name on my back, I have a playboy logo on my neck, then I have my boyfriend’s nickname on my neck. I just love tattoos. I rather do tattoos than piercing.
How come there are none on your boobs?
Like I said, my boobs are unique. I don’t want tattoos on my boobs and I don’t want to be like every girl that has tattoos on their boobs. I don’t think it is better to have tattoos on the breast.
Tope Osoba, are you related to the former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba?
Yes I am, but our relationship is quite distant because he is related to my paternal grandfather. So, I call myself a grand niece kind of.
Have you met him one-on-one?
No.
Do you intend meeting him?
I hope so.
How old is Tope Osoba?
28 years old.
Let’s assume that you are not acting, what would you have been doing?
I would probably be doing business, maybe running a salon or boutique or something but I am not an office person.
Has your heart ever been broken by men or by a man?
My heart has been broken before that is why I have a particular tattoo on my arm. I just got used to the rest. The tattoo is like a broken heart, a heart with a knife. I had that experience in school and I cried because I really liked him then. One day, he just called me to say he had somebody he wants to marry. We were so close, I didn’t think it would happen like that. I cannot even say why he did what he did. I guess he was just being a man.
In the next five years, where do you want to see yourself?
I hope to see myself at the top of my career. I want to be one of the best actresses, one of the best producers and then one of the best role models.
Which movie so far can you say is your best?
I haven’t done my best yet. My best is yet to come.
Which movie remains your most challenging?
Ogun Mi. It was tough. I was paired with top actresses like Sikirat Sindodo, Yinka Odusanya, Kemi Afolabi, Iyabo Ojo and I was the only one who was not up to their level then. The director even made me cry because at some point, he scolded me for not being able to act. I later picked up and did my scenes very well and he was pleased with me.
What is it that you like most about being in the industry?
As an actress, acting takes away all my worries. When I am on set I am empty. I don’t remember problems, worries, all I am thinking about is my job.
What jobs are you doing currently?
This year, I have done two jobs already. I did Tomilola the Taxi Driver, I just finished another one but I don’t want to talk about that. More jobs are coming.
We having this interview at AEG’s office, are you a member of the family?
Yes. AEG is my consultancy company, the chairman is also a godfather to me and a big mentor. I’m his protégé. It has been wonderful working with the AEG family.
Who is that Yoruba star that you have dreamt of acting with, but yet to do so?
I want to act with everybody both English and Yoruba. I believe I have not done my best yet, so I am yet to act with some certain people. When you don’t have confidence in yourself you would be drowned on set when you meet big names. Acting with big names has really helped my career a lot.
What can make Tope cry?
I am a very emotional person. I hate people shouting at me. When I’m angry sometimes I also cry.
Were you over pampered as an only child?
Yes. I am the only child of my mum and I grew up alone for a long time before I had younger ones and my younger ones are so little. Even till now. I am the eldest. So, I am used to being alone. My grandma over pampered me.
And you expect such from your husband too?
Yes o, because I love to be pampered.
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