Speaking with Olushola Ricketts about her career, regrets, accommodation not to remarry afterwards a bootless alliance and adulation for her children, she said;
When did you apperceive that you capital to become an actor?
It is adverse that a lot of bodies anticipate that actors consistently say acting is in their claret or that they accept been acting aback they were in the womb. As for me, I accept consistently had the ancestry aback I was in primary school. I abounding Princess Girls Academy at Abule Oja in Yaba, Lagos. In those days, we had missionary, clandestine and Federal Government schools.
My academy was like a clandestine academy alike admitting it was a missionary school. We did not pay academy fees, but the teaching standards were absolutely aerial and we acclimated to booty ball classes. I was additionally allotment of the Girls Guild and we had altered antic groups, which I joined. Despite actuality an alone girls’ primary school, I enjoyed arena the role of a boy whenever we had dramas. I consistently acclimated apparel that belonged to my adolescent brother. Parents acclimated to appear about to watch us perform. My backward mother was decidedly absolute appreciative of me. Elementary academy was fun for me and I took that spirit to accessory school. Afterwards school, I became a able computer programmer.
At what point did you leave computer programming for acting?
I formed for some years with an engineering consultancy firm. It was an European company, but the arch appointment for the West African arena was in Nigeria. I chock-full animate aback I got affiliated and started accepting children. But unfortunately, the alliance did not last. Aback I got afar from my children’s ancestor (that is what I alarm him; I don’t alarm him my backward husband), I took to acting again. Alike admitting best bodies don’t apperceive this, I already had my three kids afore I started acting. Aback my alliance didn’t assignment out, I told myself I would not go into the artery to attending for any job. At a time, I was a apprentice of the Federal Academy of Science, Victoria Island, Lagos. Then, Victoria Island was so small. From area we had the students’ abutment building, you could see the bar bank and the beginning air beeline from the bank would blow you. There were absolute few barrio at that time.
After school, we (students) were angrily fatigued to the Nigerian Television Authority to go and see rehearsals and the absolute cutting of the Village Headmaster. From there, we got to apperceive a few associates of the cast. I was so advantageous to accommodated Uncle Lai Ashade of the Village Headmaster, who was absorbed in what I was accomplishing at the time. I told him my bearings and he asked if I bare a job. I told him that I didn’t intend animate for anyone. He asked if I admired to act aback a few of us had apparent absorption earlier. Of course, I was absorbed in that. He afterwards affiliated me to a cine project, Memorial Hospital. The affected was anchored in Badagry. He told me they bare some roles to be filled. He gave me the abode and I went to accommodated the ambassador and director.
On accepting there, I was accustomed a calligraphy for the aboriginal time. I didn’t apperceive what it looked like afore then, but I had witnessed the cutting of Village Headmaster as I mentioned earlier. I apprehend through and I told the administrator I was accessible to go on set. They gave me a costume, did my composition and added all-important things were put in place. Afterwards the aboriginal scene, they asked if I had anytime faced the camera before. I said it was my aboriginal experience, but they begin it adamantine to believe. The administrator couldn’t aloof accept how I didn’t appearance any date alarm aback it was my aboriginal time. That was basically how it all started for me in 1993.
Don’t you anticipate you would accept been richer if you had focused on computer programming?
I apperceive that could be the case, but I accept never articular it. I acknowledge God for my life. I accept no afterlife can be changed. One’s afterlife can be delayed or angry around, but what God has accounting bottomward for you cannot be changed. I accept afterlife has put me area I am today.
How accept you been able to break accordant for years in the cine industry?
I accord God all the glory. It is not by my making, and it is not like I am the best. It is aloof that God has been merciful to me. In absolute fact, a lot of bodies started afore me and afterwards me, and they are boilerplate to be begin again. But I acknowledge God that I am still accordant and I plan to abide to put in my best.
As a distinct mother with three children, how did you administer to body your acting career?
My aboriginal born, Olamide, was four years old aback I larboard my marriage. I had to put them all in boarding schools. That is one of the best aching things I accept had to do. Whenever I allocution about this, it consistently brings me abutting to tears. My accouchement paid the amount for article they knew annihilation about. Accouchement don’t beg parents to accept them; we ask them to appear to the world, so we should be able to booty acceptable affliction of them. It is not all about money, but I had no choice. I had to work; I had to be a mother and a ancestor to them. I had to accomplish abiding that they had all they bare to have. While they were in school, they didn’t abridgement anything. I got them all the things affluent accouchement had. I accept all I did was not enough, but I acknowledge God for the accouchement He adored me with. I anticipate God knew I had cipher but Him. In a way, he saw us through and I acknowledge Him for that.
After your alliance failed, you’ve remained distinct for added than two decades. Why haven’t you remarried?
The agency (her backward bedmate affiliated addition woman) that led to the end of my alliance fabricated me bent to prove to him (ex-husband) that I could angle afterwards any man. I was not accessible to accord any added man the adventitious to be a albatross to my accouchement and me. I additionally fabricated up my apperception that I would address my activity absolutely to my children. I apathetic my affection and blocked every befalling to go into any relationship. I saw myself as according to any man, behindhand of how abundant money he ability have. I accord God the celebrity because I can pay my bills. I committed all my activity to my job and my children. I became so active and I was not accessible to booty any nonsense from men.
Apart from s*xual intercourse, don’t you absence the accompaniment you allotment with a man?
I accept area you are going, but sometimes aback a woman closes her heart, she will not accord any accord a chance. I was consistently on the defensive. I didn’t appetite any man to amusement my accouchement badly. I was animate for my money and I put my kids in acceptable schools. So, what do I charge a man for? I acquainted all men aloof capital was to see the adorableness of a woman and airing away. With what my ex-husband did to me, you apprehend me to assurance men again? Afore we got separated, he was a acceptable and ideal man. But he affiliated addition woman and I confused on. I do not affliction abrogation him because I sacrificed my activity for my children, which makes me accomplished and happy. But I absence the accomplished abutment thing, accord and administration things together. I accept absent it all. My admonition to adolescent ladies is to accumulate and activity for their marriages. Perhaps, I was naïve; I never fought for what was mine, but I still acknowledge God. We are in Africa, you activity for your activity and that of your accouchement first. Maybe that is why God has been merciful to me and my children.
Did your backward bedmate accomplish attempts to achieve things?
There were abounding bootless attempts. He knew the blazon of actuality I am; that aback I say no, it is no. I acquaint bodies that I am like a bread with two faces. I could be brainless and forgiving. In fact, I don’t anticipate there is anyone who forgives as abundant as I do; I am yet to accommodated such person. I could absolve or avoid anything, but already I about-face my back, I would not go aback there. Afore afterlife took him (ex-husband) away, he alleged abounding times and he came to the abode to see his children. Already he arrived, I would aces up my bag and arch to cine sets. I didn’t stop him from seeing his accouchement though.
Why didn’t you activity for your alliance aback you had the chance?
It was my mistake. I should accept fought for it. Any adolescent developed charge try her best and activity for her marriage. My accommodation at that time ability not accept been the best, but I still acknowledge God. I accept my abjure too as a animal being.
After death, did you ambition you had taken him back?
When I accomplish up my mind, I don’t affliction it. Alike if I am affair a actuality for the aboriginal time, I would be so open. I am absolute sincere. You may abandon my assurance abounding times and I will avoid all. But already my apperception is fabricated up about you, there is annihilation anyone can do to argue me otherwise.
Did you appear his burial?
I alternate in his burying with all I had. I spent my money, activity and I alike arrive artistes. Aback he anesthetized on, I was in America for holidays, so, I couldn’t appear the eighth-day prayers (fidau). But the accouchement did and my backward ancient sister was there too. For the abutting 40 days, I was supportive. Admitting he affiliated addition wife, his ancestors still sees me as the acknowledged wife. I was still accurately affiliated to him as of the time he died. I gave him a befitting burial. I did all that because of my children, abnormally my son. Afterwards in life, bodies may ask him how they active his father. He had to coffin his ancestor able-bodied and that was absolutely what I did for him. I played the allotment my son would accept played if he was an adult. That is my joy. Sometimes, I do things and bodies admiration what is amiss with me, but I consistently accept my reasons.
Was your mother in abutment of your accommodation to become an actor?
She was so happy. Aback I was absolute young, they told me bodies acclimated to alarm me ‘alajota’ (someone who brand dancing). They said I was consistently dancing alike afterwards music. My little granddaughter loves dancing too. At times, her parents get afraid whenever she is dancing. I aloof beam at them because I apperceive she got it from me.
How about your siblings?
My ancient sister is late. I accept an actual adolescent brother, who lives in Belgium with his family. There is additionally my mother’s aftermost built-in and we’ve absent one added person.
What are those things you absence about your mother?
My mother was like a acquaintance beatific by God to me. If you abundance your mother and honour her, God will absolve you. I absence her so much. In those days, whenever I fell ill and I was yet to allocution to her, I acquainted the affection would not go. For bodies whose parents are still alive, abnormally mothers, they should amount them.
It seems you were not abutting to your father?
I was never abutting to him. I acquainted he didn’t gave me the abutment I needed. He removed me from axial Lagos and took me to Edo State for my post-elementary education. Aback you do things to a adolescent and you anticipate they’ve forgotten, they don’t balloon things easily. At the end of the day, you may ascertain that a move you fabricated in activity could go a continued way to affect that child’s advance in life. Aback I took an access examination, schools I didn’t administer to in Lagos and added neighbouring states alleged me for interviews. It meant that I was amid the top three in the nation or so. But my ancestor banned all the offers I got. I did interviews at Queens College and Holy Adolescent Academy too, but he banned to let me go.
Did you acquaint him how you absolutely acquainted afore he died?
Yes, I told him all. But my backward sister told him afore I did. Aback he was alive, anytime he bare money and accomplished out to me, I didn’t alternate to accelerate to him. But we were never friends. My backward sister told me that aback he got to apperceive my animosity about him, he cried bitterly and regretted his action.
What is the above assignment you’ve learnt in the cine industry?
When you are in this affectionate of industry, you are in the bosom of enemies. It takes the adroitness of God for you to be somebody in the cine industry. Whether you are acceptable at your job or not, abounding bodies would appetite to accompany you down. However, if you accept God on your ancillary and you are acceptable at your work, you would consistently captain through anywhere you are. In every profession, there are issues. Amid the white bodies too, there are consistently bodies who are not blessed for others. It is larboard for you to be adherent and to be afterpiece to your God. You should apperceive what you appetite from activity so that you can angle abutting in whatever you do.
Do you accept a affable accord with your colleagues?
In my own case, I don’t accept enemies and I don’t accept friends. I additionally admonish adolescent actors not to accept enemies and friends. Already you are alleged for a job, get it done and go aback to your house.
Does that beggarly you don’t disentangle with friends?
With friends, why not? But I don’t do that with industry bodies or my colleagues. Aback you get too adequate with such life, you would accommodated bodies who appetite to accompany you down. They would pretend to be your accompany and ache you in the back. I’ve apparent abounding cases like that; so, I adopt to break abroad from that.
Do you still intend to aftermath movies?
I am not a producer, I am an actor. But I accept produced four movies in the past. I did that because of the admiration to acquaint belief that were baby to my affection and I capital bodies to account from them. You could additionally say I went into assembly because I had the money and I was attractive for how to absorb it.
Did you accomplish money from the films you produced?
It was a acceptable acquaintance and bodies still bethink some of the movies such as True or False. I didn’t absolutely accomplish money because of pirates. That is the above botheration producers are adverse in Nigeria and no one seems to be accomplishing annihilation about it.
Does any of your accouchement booty afterwards you in acting?
No, none of them is into acting. It’s their best and I don’t force annihilation on them. If you apprehend my chats with them, you would see that we chronicle with one addition absolute well. Aback there are misunderstandings, we achieve them and apologise to one another. I accept never chock-full them from accomplishing whatever they appetite to do. All I do is to animate them. Aback they accept problems, no amount how grave it could be, I consistently acquaint them to appear to their mother and it will be settled. My aboriginal adolescent is into advice technology, the additional is a broker and the little one is into bloom insurance. I accept two grandchildren – a boy and a girl.
How do you relax?
When I am not working, you would acquisition me sleeping. I adulation music, but I hardly go out. I am absolute dainty about the contest I attend. But anytime I adjudge to go out, I ensure I adore myself. I adulation ball shows. I adulation to laugh, I adulation life.
Do you do added things afar from acting?
I was already authoritative shoes and sandals, but debts pushed me out of the business. I was not authoritative the shoes myself though, but I contributed to the designs. Bodies were affairs them, but it became difficult to get money from them. And because of who I am, I couldn’t hunt them about for money. Also, my aboriginal babe has an online abundance area she sells children’s stuff. I admonish her on things she can buy.
Do you still accomplish money from acting as before?
You apperceive there are canicule we don’t get to assignment and there are canicule we are everywhere. Sometimes, assignment comes consistently and one gets excited. But sometimes, it comes slowly. For a absolute active actor, already you break at home for two weeks, you would anticipate the apple has abandoned you. If it gets to three months, article charge be wrong. Already that happens, I aces up my chaplet and allocution to God.
Since your backward bedmate was a Muslim and you are from a Christian background, were there no objections to your alliance by your parents?
My parents were not like that. Whatever we capital to do, they accustomed us to do it. They gave us chargeless hands. Yes, the ancestor of my accouchement was a Muslim, but he was never a practising one. The acceding was that I would not leave my religion. We agreed that we could practise our altered religions. But we had a alloyed bells because I capital to accept Holy Communion. He agreed and we went for alliance counselling. Afore the church’s absolution too, he had to assurance an undertaken that he would not stop the accouchement from afterward me to church. It was declared that aback they clocked 18, they would booty decisions on adoration for themselves.
