Odunlade Adekola has become a household name in Yoruba home videos not only as a result of his sex symbol figure but his versatility in interpretation of different roles has more than anything won him the accolade. He belongs in the generation of next superstars who have taken over from the likes of Yinka Quadri and Taiwo Hassan.

His popularity caught the eye of Globacom who selected the gangling actor as one of their ambassadors, making him the only actor from the Yoruba films genre, along with Kunle Afolayan and Funke Akindele. Odun spoke with Ayo Onikoyi on variety of subjects. Excerpts:

How did you come  into the movie industry

I came into the movie industry about 16 years ago. One of my friends, named Tunde, who was in the theatre industry actually showed me the door to the world of acting even if I was already doing some amateur acting in the  church. I joined the Association of Nigerian  Theatre Practitioners in 1998 and ever since then, I have been in the industry. But I joined Nollywood, acting in Yoruba  home videos  between  1998 and 1999.

Odunlade Adekola

Now if you can’t remember your first movie,  you should remember the film that gave you your break into stardom

Actually, it is not  for me to say this is the movie that  launched me into limelight but the film people have been saying brought me into their attention and which I agreed to a certain extent is Asiri Gomina wa produced by Ishola Durojaiye, the late Alasari. I guess it was released around 2004 or 2005 or so.

You just became a Glo ambassador . You are about the only Yoruba speaking actor apart from Kunle Afolayan and Funke Akindele. How did  it happen?

Seriously, I can’t say how
it happened but I have God to thank for that. I just received a call from Glo one day and they asked me to send my data which I did. Afterward, I  did not even put my mind there until a call came from Glo again and a voice told me he was Femi calling from Glo, asking me to come to the Glo office on Monday for an interview and that is how it all started.

When you reported, were you the only person who came?

No. When I got there I met Kunle Afolayan.

So, like how much is the package of your contract as a Glo ambassador for a year?

I can’t say that but you should know. You can find out. All the same, I thank God but it is not the money that matters to me but the recognition and appreciation that comes with it, that Odunlade Adekola has come of age to be a brand ambassador. I am very proud to be an ambassador of such a great brand like Glo and when I am around, you can’t talk about any other network. Even my friends know that and they dare not bring up the subject of other networks in my presence. Most of them have even changed to Glo.

What is the first thing you consider before taking up a role  in a movie?

The first thing that attracts me to a script is the message the script is trying to pass on to the society. Then, I look at the role itself and question how perfectly I can interpret the role to convey the message. I also look to what I can do differently from other roles I  have done in the past.

But there is a notion  you take up just about any role that comes your way. Some of your fans say you don’t even have a standard?

I am an actor and I think I can play any role they ask  me to play. As an actor, one should be versatile and be able to switch from one role to another. I believe this is one of the stuffs that makes a good actor. For instance, I can play Babalawo, play a banker and even a journalist that you are.

What are you working on now?

There is even one of my movies that is coming out today ( may 9th 2012) Pemi si ire and there are others coming out soon.

Who are the stars you featured in this your new movie Pemi si ire ?

There is Antar Laniyan, Jide Kosoko, Kevin Ikeduba, Fausat Balogun, Taiwo Aromokun , Sanyeri Afonja Olaniyi, Kayode Akindinna and many others.

As a handsome man and a celebrity ,you must have many female fans. How do you cope with them?

They are all my friends. Although I love everybody but ladies are more my friends. If you are doing something and ladies do not have interest in it,  then you have not started. You guys  don’t have much time to watch movies. It is the ladies that watch our films more and tell you they have seen a movie and ask you guys to see it too.

Would you call yourself a ladies’ man?

You journalists are my friends because you do a great job but it is disappointing when some of you write what you know nothing about, either  for recognition or so. Ladies are my friends and they would continue to be my friends. I love being around them because their level of thinking is very high but not the way you are thinking. I love women but I don’t go after women.

Who are your role models in the industry?

I don’t have any role model. Not out of being proud or because I am being pompous. My reason is that I don’t want to limit myself. If you are my role model, you become the defining figure in my life such that whatever you do, I must do and your achievements become a yardstick to measure my own. If I pray to Jesus that I trust, I believe he can raise me higher to anywhere I want to be.

Yoruba films are becoming more and more obscene these  days. There is so much injection of sensual scenes and vulgar languages which are giving  Yoruba culture a negative outlook. Why is this?

Take for an instance the
CAC church. Naturally the members do not wear ear-rings, makeups or revealing clothes but when they have a movie group ,they cannot help but indulge in all these things just to pass the message to the people that such things are not good. So when you see such things in movies, the idea behind it is not to promote such behaviours but to show to people that people who indulge in them most often than not do not end up well. You would have seen from such movies that such people always have a bad ending. As for children picking up negative message from the films, parental guidance is there to tell you the age group the film is suitable for.

Now, there was a time they said there is a kind of  rivalry between you and Femi Adebayo; that both of you being seen as the two biggest Yoruba sex symbols compete for roles. How true is this?

Ah Ah ah (laughing profusely) that is absolutely trash. That is what I was saying, the media sometimes peddle some falsehood that is totally untrue and unfounded. Me and Femi are good friends, very good together and very close. We never had a clash over roles or anything for that matter.