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Veteran Actress, IDOWU LAWAL
Veteran actress, Idowu Lawal, is still one of the recognisable actresses that graced our screens several years ago. She will always be commended for her roles in movies such as Laide Omodo, Sisi London and others. She cut her acting teeth under the tutelage of late prominent actor and movie producer, Alade Aromire. She learnt a great deal from him, especially his work ethics. Anyone who knew Alade Aromire knew he was a thorough bred professional and a disciplined one too.
The very beautiful Laide Lawal, who still looks gorgeous for her age, also featured in the much talked about Doyin Amodu movie, Ojo Ale. She was present at the burial and City People’s WALE LAWAL (08037208290) had a brief chat with her.
We are so happy to see you veterans here today for the movie premiere of Doyin Amodu’s Ojo Ale. How do you feel, ma, being part of this movie project?
Wow! You see this movie project, it is one of a kind. It is a must watch for everyone. Yes, we have been doi9ng lots of movie projects, but this particular one by Doyin Amodu is a brilliant work of Art. See how she has been able to bring back all the old veterans, the once popular old men and women who have not been featured in productions for a very long time, Doyin has gotten all of them busy with this project. She brought all of us to location and we shot the movie, Ojo Ale. You need to see how happy everyone was and how comfortable Doyin made us. She spent good money to ensure we all had fun on location. She fed us about twice a week and put most of us that came from outside of town in hotels. We should all give credit to Doyin, she has done a fantastic job.
If we were to start counting, like how many years have you been in the industry?
By the grace of God, this is my 42nd year in the industry. I joined the movie industry in 1980.
Can you share with us how you joined the industry back then?
That’s a very long story, but I will try to make it brief. Back then, I was always performing in school, joining the drama group and stuff. But when I was brought to Lagos in 1978, I started hawking goods with my grandma. Whenever I returned from school, I would hawk things for her. So, it was while hawking one day, that I started mixing with some friends that I already made in school. These friends would smoke, follow masquerades all about and do all kinds of stuff, so I joined them. It was while mixing with them that I discovered that there was a regular drama rehearsal at Palm Avenue High School in Mushin, and I decided to go. There was this friend of mine called Basira who was telling me that they would be beating me there when I join and I said, its fine by me, let them beat me, its part of the training. I said anyone who is not focused on the training he or she is receiving has to be beaten so that they can learn fast. And that’s how I joined the theater group. I spent a whole one year with the group back then and everyone was already looking for me. They went in search of me in far away Ondo state, thinking I was lost, they didn’t know I was in Mushin where I was learning to act. The name of the leader of the group was Akinyemi Ogunsola Ikoko, he was like a father to all of us, may God bless his soul. Whenever we came late for rehearsals then, we would be beaten.
Something now happened one day that sent me running back home. I followed a friend of mine to a party, Rocky Maitama was the musician on the bandstand. It was a child naming ceremony. Suddenly, it started raining. It was a very serious rain. We had to take shelter under a building, not knowing that some guys were raping women in the building. It was when I saw a lady who had also taken shelter from the rain being dragged inside that suspected something was wrong. Immediately, I jumped right inside the rain to run away and a guy followed me, trying to drag me right back inside. And I used to be a troublesome lady then, I was always getting into fights with boys and a lot of times, I overpowered them. So, I started dragging with the guy and struggling to get him off me. This particular guy was one of late Ayinde Barrister’s band boys then. He couldn’t drag me back inside. I was too strong for him. Then, I started shouting, ‘Aunty Nike, Aunty Nike!’ This Aunty Nike was one of the big Aunties in the neighbourhood back then that everyone knew I was close to. Someone now helped me to get the Aunty Nike. When the guy saw she was approaching, he then punched me in the mouth and tht part of my mouth began to decay. That was what sent me back home. But I never lost my desire for acting.
After a while, I got married but the marriage ended after a while and I returned to Lagos. When I got back to Lagos, I began to look out for a good theater group that I could join headed by a grounded practitioner and that was when I joined the group of the late Alade Aromire. There were only two people that were my seniors then in the group and they were Tope Alabi, the popular gospel singer and Aunty Wunmi Taiwo Akinwale, they were my seniors at Alade Aromire’s theater group. I was the leading our caucus back then, so that was how I became a theater practitioner. So, I have been in the industry for 42 years running now.
What were some of the movies you did with late Alade Aromire that gave you public recognition?
I can still remember a few like Laide Omodo, Sisi London, they were a lot back then. A lot of the veterans today knew back then with Alade Aromire. That was where a lot of people knew me. But the other productions featured in that were commercial hits back then are Moremi Ajasoro, Ogun Ahoyaya and so many others.
How many years did you spend with the late Alade Aromire?
I spent about seven years with him. People like Remmy Shitta and myself used to tour Alade Aromire’s drama projects together. It was when I saw that he was not giving me enough time that I gave myself my own freedom from the group. So, whenever he saw me at meetings afterwards, he would tell the younger ones who were having issues to go and meet Idowu Lawal, that she would put them through. That was the sort of relationship I had with the late Alade Aromire.
What would you say you respected the most about the late Alade Aromire as a theater practitioner?
The first is that he was a very honest person. You could trust him with anything. Then, secondly, he was a thorough professional. He always wanted his apprentices to be the best anywhere thry go in the industry. He could get angry sometimes but he would always calm do0wn and explain things to us. And when he is calm, he will say, oya, go and buy me Malt, that was my boss’ favourite drink because he didn’t take alcohol and neither did he smoke. He will now take time to lecture the person and put him or her through the things he wanted them to learn.
Were you still with him at the time he passed on?
I had left the group then but we were still in touch. And I was always frequent at his place. I was also a regular face in his house. I remember when he had a little boy, I was the one carrying the boy about. I also taught him how to eat swallow. I was not with him when he died. It was a friend that called me to inform me of his death. I was shattered. I was heart broken. I wept uncontrollably. Even people around me were weeping for him too.
What advice do you have for those who wish to follow the footsteps of the likes of Doyin Amodu, Foluke Daramola and co?
You see, if we have like three or four of the likes of Doyin Amodu in the industry, this industry will be a lot better for most of us. If others can do what Doyin is doing, it will be great. But unfortunately, a lot of the younger ones are not humble like Doyin. Some of the younger ones who have made names for themselves, when they see the older ones, they just ignore them like they are insignificant and it shouldn’t be that way. They always look down on us. Meanwhile, a lot of these young people cannot even get on stage to act. I often boast about it anywhere that if you know you are really good, lets meet on stage and lets see you face the audience live. Many of them cannot even manage the stage. They are only used to acting before the camera and getting directed by the movie director. But that is not what this profession is all about. What many of them do not realise is that we are returning to the stage and that’s where most of them will have problems because they were not taught how to act on stage. So, I advice they should all go back and learn how to act on stage.
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