One highly celebrated Nigerian actress in Nollywood, though a cross-over artist who is more prominent in the Yoruba sector of the industry, is the light-skinned and sexy-looking Bukky Wright. Having cut her teeth under the auspices of ace movie director Fidelis Duker, the movie personality has continued to gather accolades for herself before her teeming fans with countless movie roles to her credit. In this interesting chat with the lady of style, she spoke to Deola Adeoti on her staying power for close to two decades, how she copes as a single parent, business and other sundry issues. Excerpts:
You always speak fondly of your late mum. How would you describe her?
She was the best mother anybody could have. I miss her so much. I loved her so much and I still do. She was one in a million. I love my dad too, funnily enough. But I tend to talk more about my mum. I have the best parents any child could wish for.
What’s the greatest lesson you learnt from her?
My mother always advised me to be myself and never to let anybody or anything put me down.
You have a fashion outfit; tell us more about it.
Well, my label’s called B.Wright; we make unisex shirts, ties, pocket squares, cufflinks boxes, and so on. So that’s what B.Wright’s all about. It’s a fashion outfit. And apart from that, I also have Wright Affairs, where we sell shoes, bags and different kinds of fashion accessories.
What really inspired you into fashion?
I’ve always loved fashion and I’ve always been in the business. This especially reflects in my production. That’s why I decided to have my own production outfit. I wanted to diversify a little from movie production and acting, which was also why I decided to open the fashion house.
Could you take us back on how you started your movie career?
Well, I started movies over a decade ago and thanks to Fidelis Duker, who gave me my very first chance. And of course I’m not going to forget Oga Bello (Adebayo Salami). He introduced me to the Yoruba movie industry. Also my good friend Shan George. She also believed in me and gave me the needed push to be who I am today; but thanks to Fidelis Duker because he was the one that actually saw it in me and brought it out of me.
Of all the movies you’ve acted in, which one is the most challenging for you?
I’d always say that a writer’s as good as his or her last job. So as a script writer, actor and producer, for now Omotara Johnson is the most challenging for me and I’m quite sure my next movie’s going to be more challenging than that.
Some of your fans out there will like to know your age. How old are you right now?
How old is Bukky Wright? Well, I’d say I’m not too old and I’m not too young. I’m between my mid-thirties and my early forties.
Most women of your status don’t like to talk about their age at all, but here you’re trying to give us a clue.
I think age is nothing but a number; it’s whatever you’ve achieved in life that matters.
What do you do to look this beautiful at your age?
One thing I don’t do is to put anything harsh on my skin. I’m also very careful with what I eat and drink. And most of all, I should say it’s the glory of God. That’s my secret.
What’s your take on marriage?
Well, my take on marriage is that I’m happy and that’s what I care about. My happiness is what matters most, whether I’m married or not. Happiness is the most important thing to me.
Scandal is not uncommon with celebrities and over the years you’ve had your own share of it. How have you been able to shield yourself from the damaging effect of these scandals?
I’ve just been able to realize that for you to be a celebrity you should be able to weather the storm and God has been my strength. He’s always been there for me. So I don’t let any scandal distract me, so far I know what I’m doing. I always say something. If you want to win a race, never mind the opposition. The opposition can come in any form, shape or size. It could be scandals, but one must see them as mere distractions. When I first started, it used to bother me but not anymore because I know what I want and I’m really running after my goals.
You can be described as a successful and proud single parent. What’s your advice to a lot of women out there who’re finding it difficult to cope with single parenthood?
Yeah, I would just tell them to hold on to their faith and in anything they do the family should come first. And when you’re talking about the family, in anything I do my children come first. I don’t mind if I have not eaten as long as my children are okay. That’s all that matters to me. And I don’t believe there’s anything a man can do that a woman cannot do better. In fact, I believe women should be given the right to actually own children in Africa like the rest of the world, because we the women suffer more on our children. Do you want to talk about a man who’s gone out since morning leaving the children with the woman? A man will always be the father of everybody, but for a woman my child’s always my child.
Do you plan to remarry at all?
Like I just told you, I’m happy and that’s all that matters.
I’m sure you’re aware of the pressure that mature women frequently suffer from society. Have you been affected in anyway by this?
I don’t care what anybody says as long as I’m happy within myself and everybody around me is happy. That’s all that matters. I won’t say because the next person is doing something I have to rush to do it. And like I said the other time, never mind opposition in life if you want to win the race, because by the time you begin to mind opposition, you’ve already lost out of the race.
Given the power, is there anything you’d have loved to change about yourself?
If I have a chance to come back to this world a thousand and one times again, I still want to be myself from the same parent and have the same kids and live the same life again.
When you’re not working what do you do?
I’m a workaholic. The only times I’m not working, I’d rather want to be with my family – my children – because in everything I do my family comes first.
It seems you’re a very positive-minded person. Do you have any special words you say to make yourself feel good, maybe when you’re down?
Absolutely! You know what? I say to myself, “Go girl!”
Behind the camera, who’s Bukky Wright?
This is just me: my simple, God-fearing and friendly self. A lot of people would say, ‘Oh, she’s a snub; she’s this and she’s that.’ But they usually soon find out that when they get closer, they see a different person. I’m a very playful person but I don’t joke with my work and I don’t joke with my kids as well. If you want to see the other side of me, tamper with my kids or insult my children. You’ll definitely see the other side of me. I’m always very busy with my work because I’m not going to go on the street and beg anybody for food; I have to work hard, very hard.
What’s your typical day like?
My normal day is usually spent in my office; that’s my studio. I go to my studio, come to my shop and then go back home. I’m not a very sociable person, but once in a while I do go out because a lot of people have been complaining that they would invite me for parties and I wouldn’t come but I realized I don’t throw parties as well. Yeah, maybe I had my mum’s burial and my dad’s too and I invited a few people and they didn’t think ‘This girl doesn’t honour our invitations to events.’ They still came and all turned out en masse. But I saw a few of them who actually accused me that if they were to go by what I do, they wouldn’t come and my food would have just wasted. Funnily enough, at the beginning of the party I was scared like ‘Oh my God, who’s going to eat these foods?’ when I wasn’t seeing traces of people coming.
However, all of a sudden, the entire hall was jam-packed and people kept trooping in and out from morning till night and somebody now pointed it out to me how I don’t go to people’s events and yet they have taken out time to come to mine. I said ‘You know what? I’ve got to change.’ So now once in a while I go for people’s parties but I might or might not stay there long. Because I’m a very shy person, I don’t like staying in public; I don’t like crowds, so to say
