Unarguably one of the most skilled Nigerian actors at the moment, Odunlade Adekola is loved and respected for his plausible portrayal of diverse roles. He tells TOFARATI IGE about the genesis of his career, family and other issues

What can you remember of your childhood?

I was born in Lafenwa, Abeokuta,Ogun State. But I am from Otun-Ekiti in Ekiti State. I come from a close-knit Christian family and we used to go to church a lot. In fact, we were always part of the people that cleaned the church before service. There was really no time for me to play on the streets or keep many friends. I attended St. Johns Primary School, St. Peters College and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, all in Abeokuta. And right now, I am currently studying Business Administration in the University of Lagos.

What were your childhood ambitions?

As a child, I always loved to control people and direct them on the right things to do. I looked forward to being the manager of my own company and that is why I decided to study Business Administration.

Can you recall how you started your acting career?

I used to act very well in church and people loved it whenever I came on stage. Even before I mounted the stage, people would already be screaming in excitement and the cleric would then have to caution them so that everybody could hear what I had to say. It was the interest and love that people had for me that motivated me to take acting serious. Meanwhile, there was a friend of mine who we used to act together and go about performing in churches. He was part of a group that used to meet for rehearsals somewhere close to where I lived. One day, he told the members of his group that he had a friend who could act. They told him to invite me and when I got there, they asked me if I could act and I told them I could do it very well. The leader of the group then asked why I believed so much in myself and he told me to act like a mad man. I immediately moved close to him, grabbed his cloth and started unbuttoning it. As I was doing that, everybody there started clapping and that is how I joined the theatre industry in 1996. I didn’t initially know that it was different from what I was used to in church because they had more techniques, but I learnt over time. There was a time that the leader of our group invited some actors who had been in the industry for a long time such as Mr. Paragon, Kayode Akindina, Segun Akinlade, and Segun Adeniji (SAMA), among others to come and inspect what we were doing. After watching us perform, they urged me to join the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, and I became a member in January 1998.

What was your parents’ reaction to your career?

It has been a long time but one of the earliest movies I can recall is Faworaja, produced by Bolaji Amusan (Mr. Latin) in 1999.

Can you recall some of your colleagues that you started acting with?

I remember people like Tunde Oshoko, Semiu Durojaiye, Shola Odebunmi, Segun Ogungbe and many others too numerous to mention here.

What challenges did you face in the early stage of your career?

I was quite young when I started but as I grew older, I realised that all the things that I considered to be challenges are only normal things that happen as one progresses in life. There is always a price to pay for whatever you want to achieve in life.

READ MORE: http://punchng.com/any-entertainer-that-doesnt-have-female-fans-should-find-another-job-odunlade-adekola/

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