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Veteran Actor, YEMI SOLADE Talks About His 40Yrs In Acting
The just concluded 2023 City People Real Estate Awards, held on Sunday 12, November, 2023, at the 10 Degrees, Event Centre, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos was a great event that had many real estate organisations, realtors, developers, government officials in attendance.
Yemi Solade, spoke with City People Magazine crew on how he started his acting career right from his days, at the Obafemi Awolowo University. He also revealed why he changed from being a Law student to Dramatic Art student.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
How did you develop your interest in real estate, because I see that you have been an Ambassador to many real estate companies. I am wondering what is the reason?
You and I know that it is something that is trending, and it’s a global thing. You want to leverage on the name, the fame and to boost businesses. It is a global phenomenon. I cut my teeth in real estate close to 10 years now and I have worked for 3 companies actually. Well in this very company, I have learnt about what real estate is all about. Basically, is about housing, either for residential, or commercial purposes. I found it very interesting. It is a very hardline business. The experience I gathered, the emotion, rollacoating kind of journey adventure. But given the landscape of this business, real estate in Nigeria is very huge. I think it is the most profitable business in Nigeria today. Let us leave Oil & Gas thing out. One can build a house of 20 million and sell for about 200 million in Lagos, that I know, it is big business. For me as a face, all I do is to do what a conductor, our regular Danfo conductors do to passengers, calling them to come and board. That is all, we don’t do the direct business, and we don’t do the marketing, all we do is to attract buyers, clients, patrons and that is all.
I have had very exciting moments with the three companies. I recalled one took us to UK for a property show and it was a beautiful experience. Maybe one day if I have the capital I will venture into the business myself.
Let us talk about Yemi Solade the actor. Ever since I have known you, you have been going to location back to back. What is it that you do differently that makes producers want to feature you in their movies?
This is what I do all my life, I have been doing this for over 40 years and I am so passionate about what I do. Acting is my DNA, I have sacrificed a lot to remain in the game.
Apart from being trained professionally, like I said, that has showed that the passion is so huge in me that I don’t really consider any other thing apart from going out there, exhibit the talent and show what I have to offer and every other thing is secondary. I think what I do differently is I try as much as possible to be a true professional. I was trained by Wole Soyinka. So you can imagine the meticulous mind, if you give me a call time you want to leave by that. A lot has changed talking about Nollywood, I do not want to say there is no discipline but there is no discipline.
We were trained from the Stage and whoever comes from that background has a lot professionally to offer and well, maybe a very articulate actor.
Because this is where you find the hard work, playing before camera is for all comers now, it has become an all comers affair. Those are the things I think I do differently.
I am a bit strict when I work, I try to be disciplined when I work too and I think my talent is just ever green and the skills, I try to upgrade and update myself, and that is what anybody should do anyway.
You have been acting for how many years now?
I have done 46 years since FESTAC 77, I was in Langbodo, I was the youngest actor. I played Foye one of the seven hunters and we are still counting. It is a beautiful field I must tell you.
How have you been able to maintain your youthful look.
I take care of myself, I eat right, I drink right, I socialise right and I rest a lot. When I am not working I select places I show my face. I don’t want to be seen everywhere.
Because the work speaks for one. No matter where we go once our work is released, it is seen globally. I don’t have to be on any red, green or yellow carpet. So I rest a lot and I take my time.
You are very stylish. How did you come about your fashion style?
Well my fashion style is basically me. I come from a family of fashionable people and I think I am just keeping the family heritage, academic, fashion, interestingly, I am the only artist in my family, non before me maybe my son that plays music, Fela.
How easy was it for your parent to accept Yemi Solade to go into acting?
It was not easy, you know those days there were four professions a child would pick from either Medicine, Law, Accountancy, Engineering and we may add architecture to it. But when I got to Ife, it was Law I was studying, so I went to meet Professor Wole Soyinka, I told him I wanted to be his student, I wanted to learn from him and he looked at me, he knew what I wanted, he backed me up. So I switched from Law to Dramatic Art, I became his student and today the rest is history. it is part of me and I am part of it.
How my parent took that? Haaa. You don’t want to know how, it was not funny. You know what Yoruba will say “tu to so ke, fo ju gba”. But let me tell you what I did, I did not let anyone know until one year to go before it linked out that I was not a law student, and everybody was press falling, disturbed and they said I was on my own. Most of them turn their backs on me. But that emboldened me the more, strengthen me the more and I said I must make a success out of this. Even at that, I went on working, I taught in a university for 6 years, I just wanted to bag the degree and a master degree.
But eventually, I said okay I am doing this for me, I left every paying job by 1993 for 30 years now. I have been doing this freelancing and I am not regreting it and the family is very proud of me. At least I oiled the family flag in the world over.
How do you handle real estate companies who fail on their promises to Ambassadors?
I have done 3 companies. And the first time I did not know anything about real estate, I wanted to learn. My Egbon Jide Kosoko was in that company. He was using me quote and unquote using me for the company. Yemi I want you to come to the company, either I anchor for that company or come up with a recording and plant me in as an actor. Then I was getting uncomfortable and I said this will block my own chance of getting this kind of deal too. Once they have seen you expecially recording, they will say we will have him, he will work for this company. So I told him all of that, and I wanted to have a taste of this real estate of a thing. I thought people were really having, fun, because I saw colleagues. So one of these companies wanted me and at a point I wanted to talk with the company. The company that Prince Jide Kosoko was their ambassador had tasted me and I had done things for them and they did not want me to go so they quickly hijacked me like Lagos style. Stay and work with us.
Meanwhile, Prince Jide had traveled out of the country, I was standing in for him at the property festival held at Ikeja City Mall. I said no, I have been talking to one company they said they know.
Please don’t go, we have known you around here. There we had a deal we stroke it fine, and that was my first experience. The main thing you asked is the integrity and all of that. I want to believe that every business man should be sincere, your business should be clean.
There should be a great percentage of sincerity and truthfulness. It wasn’t what I felt, there were lot of games, it starts from when you read the advertorial, publicity and the marketing strategy, like the land is 5 minutes drive from governor’s office and you are taken to the land where you had to travel like 2 hours before you get to the land and the customer will now turn to Yemi Solade and say, because I saw your face and not only that the place is far, area they gave me is a swampy area. I will say I am sorry on behalf of the company.
You won’t come out to say you really did not know anything about it. Like I compared myself to that conductor of a Danfo just to get the passengers in, good or bad, just get them and the rest will be sorted out.
But it is still not as bad as what we imagined. However, we have some guys and organisations that are good in the business. Some think this is what is trending let’s go into it.
In every facet of life Nigerians are known to do that. Once a business trends they want to be part of it. But the 3 companies I have worked with have been wonderful.
Not that we do not have our low moments. The last one signed me two years, and terminated the contract 7 months after. He said, he was not making sales and I wanted to take him to court, I got my Lawyer to do something but I felt it would eat too much into my time, because I jump all over the place as an actor and you know Lawyers will want you around. So, I felt it was business and I had the contract form. But given that, I will still say real estate is a good business, once the location is solid and the business is thriving.
I think I protect myself by telling the management what I want, what I will do. I will not say what I don’t know about.
I want to know what I am selling, what I am screaming about. I do that a lot because anyone who knows me will testify that I try to be as metriculous as I can. I am not sycophatic for any reason. Is the land real? Are your estates real? Before I strike a deal or done with it fully.
– Olusola Abiodun
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