Princess Dupe Adetuwo is one of the old hands in the movie industry. She started in the early 80s with ‘Mirror in the Sun’.
When she got married, she travelled abroad with her husband and took a long break from the industry. She came back a couple of years ago to her first love: acting. The films she has featured in include: Country People, Zenith, Haven, Family Ties, and Super Story,
Behind the Siege, Family Affairs, Diamond Ring and a host ofYoruba movies.
In this interview with RONKE KEHINDE, she talks about why she took a break from acting, her reasons for coming back, why her marriage did not work and the most memorable days of her life
MY journey into Nollywood
Right from my secondary school, I was in the Literary and Debating Society and also in the Drama Society in Ondo High School. I used to write drama for them. I used to play male roles for them, because there was no male to fit in then. I remember the play: ‘This is Our Chance’. I acted as Bambulu, the school teacher.
That was how I started. I also remember that my father, the late Abodi of Ikale land was an entertainer before he became the king. It must have been in our blood. I guess I took after him. I started television drama series in 1983/84 when Mirror in the Sun started, written by Lola Fani Kayode. It was Tade Ogidan who introduced me to her then because I was a friend of his family.
From then, I was put in the mainstream of things at NTA then. Although I was a freelance artist, I remember Dolly Nwachukwu, Clarion Chukwura, Hallero, although she has travelled out of the country and a host of others, who were doing things together then. At a point, ‘At Your Service’was on, it was a drama series on TV it was produced by Emmanuel France. He is now an actor. I was part of it. There was also SPACS, Special Protection Anti Crimes Squad by Danlami Bako. I was part of it, I was the computer girl.
RMD was there, Mahmoud Alii Balogun was there, we were on it together. Even before I went into Television, Uncle Jimi Solanke had a film on celluloid then, titled ‘SunbircT, I played the lead role, Tanwa. That was how the J ourney started.
Why I took a break
The man I married does not really like me acting. You know some people have this negative impression about us. I will just say it is a very wrong one, because not all of us are like that. They tend to believe they are promiscuous. Once you are there it will expose you and you tend to lose your mind, your head. But I tend to be different, maybe because of the way I was brought up and my father was very strict; itkind of helped me in life.
So I took a break for a long while, because we had to relocate to England. I was there with my husband, because he didn’t really like it. When I came back to Nigeria all my colleagues then, my friends like Clarion Chukwura, Ngozi Nwosu, had all gone far in it and they are now celebrated. I felt okay, we started together and it’s still part of me. At a time I was on stage with Larry Williams. Then I was part of ‘Home to Ajegunle’ play that was staged in florin. We took it round the country then. I saw that it has now become something big. Even at that time we were just getting very little. I remember then in ‘Mirror in the Sun’, we were paid N150 per episode and it will take you months before you even get your money. There was really very little in it. When I came back, I saw that they’ve all gone far. I said okay let me just go to where I belonged, where I am happier.
Memorable days
The day I got married and the day I had my first child. The first day I saw myself on TV, in Mirror in the sun, was memorable.
How I will rate Nollywood
Now they say weve been rated number two in the world next to Bollywood. I don’t know how the rating came about, but then we are there. That calls for celebration. In Nollywood we are still learning, inspite of the facilities that are not there. You cannot compare it with Hollywood, they have everything there. They even have a film city called Hollywood. We don’t have anything like that here. We just try to make do with what we have. With better facilities, better support, maybe with government funding Nollywood we will do better. The best is yet to come.
Growing up memories
I’m an Ikare princess from Ikoya, in Ekitipupa in Ondo State. My father was a paramount ruler of Ikale land, he’s late now, Oba J. A. Adetuwo ‘2’. I started my primary school in Ibadan, St. Louis Primary School. I went back home for my secondary education. I started from Manner Memorial Grammar School. It was one of the best then, but because I was playing table tennis for my state, they needed me to be closer to where I could get better training. They moved me to Ondo High School. I finished my secondary school in Ondo High School. I proceeded to Auchi Polytechnic where I had my OND. From there to Bida Polytechnic, where I did my HND. I travelled to England where I did extra courses in intenor decoration which is what I do aside acting. Presently I am in the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN.
Myself and my style
I will say I am a happy woman, down to earth, and God fearing woman. I live a simple life, my life is very simply. I love being around beautiful people. I fear
God a lot. I love simple things. I don’t know why. You can see I have low cut, I never plaited my hair for once. I never in my life braided my hair. That would say a lot about my person. I don’t really like making up, it will seem as though I am not the one. If you make me up now, I will be feeling that’s not me. I don’t know how God created me, but I just feel good when I am simple. My daughter is a lawyer; she is also acting and modeling.
In our days
You can’t compare it. Then we enjoyed life because there was so much peace, although people were not so rich then, the little they had have value. But these days there is no value anymore. We don’t have much fear then moving with your friends. During holidays you can go to your friend s house to spend sometime with them. But these days everybody is so fearful and careful.
You can’t trust anybody anymore again, because of what is happening. Everybody is so money conscious nowadays. In those days we don’t run after material things. In fact there are some steps you will want to take then that the fear of what your parents will say, you will not even think about it anymore. How can a girl of 16 be thinking of driving a car. You will see them now around driving jeep, flashy cars.
A lot of them have gotten into trouble; they have mortgaged their future for it. In those days, it was so beautiful; life was peaceful, everything was going on fine. Immediately I left school I traveled by myself with my own pocket money to London. Then we don’t need a Visa to travel. The ticket was just N500 then, and I could easily gather the money together. Life used to e so beautiful then. I pity the young ones now because of so much fear and things are so hard now.
Why my marriage failed
I tried my best to make it work, but it didn’t work. I didn’t believe I should continue suffering in a marriage which was no longer making me happy. I tried my best. I want to be alive to take care of my children, and that is what I am doing; working hard to raise them. Although he is late now, he died in 1995.
Benefits I received from fame
It has really helped a lot in the area of business and getting to meet people, getting to be accorded respect anywhere I am, in a gathering and all that. So far that is what I have gained from it.
The journey so far and my role model
It is like I respect myself a lot and I respect other people too. There have not been many challenges. I don’t pretend to be what I am not. I’ve been lucky. I will say my father is my role model, although he is late now. I also have Tade Ogidan as my role model. The roles I’ve taken are numerous. I produced my first movie in 2005 titled Iinu mi ni momo’. My plans are in God’s hand, but I plan to have Soap on air and I’m working on it right now. And I’mhopingunto Godtobettermy life.
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