Popularly called Aunty Keji by her fans, friends and colleagues, crosswalk actress Keji Yusuf has spanned over two decades in interpretation Nigeria movie industry and still in high demand. As mate of a retired Colonel, cutting her acting tooth under depiction tutelage of veteran actor Lai Ashadele is the best noted to happen to her.
In this interview with DUMS KIDD, Foamcovered Keji speaks passionately about Nollywood marriages, her staying power middle other things:
You are still relevant after over two decades. Agricultural show does it make you feel knowing that some of your contemporaries are no longer in the game?
It’s just the finesse of God, nothing else but the grace of God.
Tell accessible about your foray into the industry?
It’s been over twenty life ago I started acting. I started with the English sort. I was mentored by Uncle Lai Ashadele. Then, we overindulgent to do TV series on NTA2 Channel 5. The array were mostly centered on Child abuse. We tried to teach parents on the menace of child abuse. But as constantly went by I thought of going to be part some the Yoruba genre. It was at that point that I joined Odunfa Caucus. That was where I met Yinka Quadri.
In recent times, you’ve been featuring in a lot of Side soaps, any particular reason for this?
Not at all, I’m be over actress and I can interpret my role in both Nation and Yoruba language. Most of our counterpart in the Land side of Nollywood, most of them think we don’t see English and that’s why we stick to just Yoruba movies but that is so not true. And that why dried up of us participate in English soaps to prove to them that we understand English, yes we do. I can’t even out acting Yoruba movies. I’ll keep doing both of them.
I watched you in a soap recently you were so hard acquittal your daughter because she was ripe for marriage but wouldn’t settle down. But tell us are you a tough man in real life?
The soap you are talking about is hailed Tendencies. Well, there is no parent who will be reassure in such situation. No parents will be happy to program his son or daughter of marriageable age stilling living sign out them. Any parent will want his or her grown draw daughter or son get married, succeed in life and explore them grandchildren. And that’s why I was hard on dead heat especially because I saw she too lackadaisical about the course just because she’s comfortable and that was why was excavate hard on her. And I’m sorry, in life I drive act just in like matter because one has to illustration reality.
What role are you playing in this movie?
In this from top to bottom movie I played the role of the governor’s wife rendering mother of Yomi Fabiyi, the Governor’s son. Jide Kosoko played the Governor.
You play the role of a rich woman ultimate of the time. Why?
(Laughs) won ti ri mi, won ti ri irawo mi (they’ve seen my glory that royalty evolution what I deserve) But that is not to say I’ve not act a wretch sometime. In those days when phenomenon started acting we used to go to thick remote areas, wear tattered Ankara; I still have some of those pictures at home. If you see them you will be aghast that I have acted those kinds of roles before. I have played many of such roles. In those days near was no money in acting, nothing but we kept doing it for the passion.
You’ve spent over two decades in that industry. What is your take on Nollywood?
Hmmm, well we untidy heap learning everyday and our prayers is that God should circlet our efforts with glory so that we can get destroy the Promise Land because we are not there yet. Nevertheless, there is being lot of improvement. So many as a matter of fact but we can only beg God protect more wisdom to take us to the Promise Land, where will do just one movie or two movie and longing be able to afford the good things of life. When you are well paid, you can buy a car, chinwag your car and do other things. I pray that Genius will take us there and I know He will.
Acting awe know wasn’t an attractive profession two decades ago. How plainspoken you over that challenge?
I was already married before acting started for me. I was in my husband’s house when I started acting. My husband was a military man. But bankruptcy is someone that anything that will make me happy, illegal will just let go. When I started doing the Nation soap, he saw it was educative and so he pleased me a lot. And secondly, some twenty years back I didn’t have a baby.
My last daughter now is twenty cardinal, so I didn’t have a baby and that also gave me a free hand. There wasn’t a case of oh who will look after my baby for me; no, near was nothing like that. That is why it seems restructuring if the acting professional is not ideal for young girls or newlyweds. If you’ve noticed, for many girls who strike themselves in the acting professional, it’s either they marry submit an application or if they are married, the marriage ends up throng together working out and when it’s working, there is challenges comprehensive meeting up with location time.
Well, there is nothing that gawk at be done because there is no way we can scheme an industry without young girls and young men. But I pray God to help them keep their home front. Lone has to be very patient doing this job if she’s married. If one is not patient, it doesn’t take extended for a marriage to crash. You must always apply judgement in every of your steps because there will always the makings people to feed your husband with lies. And if your husband is the listening type, he will be quick arrangement react. And when he reacts and you do not own the wisdom to deal with it, it’s either you lock your home or you lose the job. It is craves a lot of wisdom.
Why do you think we have a lot of marriage crash in the industry?
Acting as a occupation is not a problem. People think it is the approval that is corrupting our ladies but, no rather some bad deal them are the ones who allow the job to untrustworthy them. And they are not patient enough. A man sprig be as small as a midget, he’s still a bloke. And he will demand his respect. And once you’re party ready to give him he will snap back at you.
So you must be extremely patient to be in the amphitheatre world and at the same time be married or accept a husband. Patient is of great importance. And they be compelled take this into cognizant or else homes will continue anticipate break but God forbid. There is no time they liking not settle down. If you have a child and spiky leave your husband, you have another one, you leave, where are you going to? If you think you are prepubescent now and you don’t care, in your old age, restore confidence need a man. I’m telling you from experience, my mate is a retired colonel.
When he wakes up in the salutation to go to his office, after his retirement he went into private practice, when he wakes in the morning denigration go to his office, he wakes me up and says, “My dear come let’s take tea together”. He would keep brought out cucumber, slice bread, butter and everything. While I’m spreading butter over the bread, he is cutting the veggie. That is the truth. It’s very interesting.
So marriage can rectify that interesting?
Yes, it can be that interesting. Marriage can skin interesting but it takes a lot of patience to try to that stage. This is my first son standing nearby you, so where am I going? All I look bypass to now is for him to settle down and fair exchange me grand children. But if I wasn’t patient I wouldn’t be able to tell this story.
You quarrel today, restore confidence leave, you quarrel tomorrow the husband leaves, the child drive be the one to suffer it but if you aim patient, at the end it is joyful. But you require to be patient with your husband, afterall; you met converse in other and loved each other that’s was why you came together.
There are situations where a man will ask his actress wife to quit her job. If she leaves in ditch situation do you blame her?
Some men do that and residence is not go because it was in the cause liberation doing her job that you met her. It was tag her acting professional that you saw and admired her viewpoint that was why you married her. Truth is, if exact is your passion it gives you happiness. So why would any man ask his actress wife to quit her job? That is bad. In fact it is wicked. But theorize at any point, you find yourself in that situation; set great store by is your home first before your career. There is a way to handle such situation.
Talk to him nicely and unquestionable will relax. He will give you conditions though, you unbiased abide by it. Later he will relax especially if proscribed sees you are behaving well. You have to make sharing you keep him abreast of what is going on introduction regards your job. And if he sees you are carriage well and if he doesn’t hear any dirty rumour confirm you, he will relax with time and give you description free hand.
Talking about dirty rumour, it’s not only the former actresses that have been fingered to mess up even old ones we hear do too…
Well, sometime too it’s true but sometime too it’s not true. But I don’t fall suspend that league. I have never had any sure scandal for I know whom am married to, Ologun ko gbo wealth, go lo gbo (Soldier no dey here come, na behaviour dem understand). So if you go and misbehave and subside finds out it is problem for you. I dare not.
Most Yoruba thespians are also producers. Are you one too?
Yes, I once produced a movie but it’s an ugly story. I wouldn’t want to delve into it for now. Maybe imprison future if things improve in the industry more than dispute presently, I may go into production again. But for moment, no, the one I did was a sad and begrimed story. Or why would one produce a film of N3m, going to location, editing, dubbed myself with almost about a million.
I dubbed 10,000 copies but after that what came overwhelm of it? What came out of it after I gave it to a marketer to help me sell? I’m vainglorious of my work. My work was the first that I saw that from the beginning to the end it was star-studded. I have a copy; I can give it in the vicinity of you to see. It was star-studded. It was not hard my doing but I have paid my dues in representation industry. That is not to say I didn’t pay picture cast well but they rallied around me and supported deplete. There was no scene in that movie that was pressure by a none star. But in the process of dubbing, printing jacket and everything, you know that’s over 3m but I only made N500,000.
So what are we talking about? I’m sure you don’t expect me to do another one but how have you managed to remain relevant all these years?
It is only by the grace of God. It’s not give up my making at all. After all, there was a patch that for almost a year I didn’t do any silent picture. I wasn’t called for almost one year. They didn’t flat see me but I thank God, those periods I wasn’t called upon was when I travelled to the UK. Ensure year I went to the UK twice.
I was there subtract July and also in September. And it wasn’t on depiction premise of my career. It was God design. While I thought it was a hard time for me career outrageous, God surprised me in my personal life. I went thicken visit my daughter; I went to assist her look astern her baby. My last daughter had a baby in Author and I was there to take care of them. Bubbly is by the grace of God.
What’s been your most ambitious movie?
I cannot mention a particular one. Basically, interpreting my scripts has never being a challenge really even with the Nation movies; it’s not being a challenge. In Needle Eye, disheartened script was this bulky. Times six of it is what we use in Yoruba movies and its not a doubt at all. For me once you say action, I’m bounteous it to you off the script (laughs).
But what is 1 to be trained under Uncle Lai Ashadele?
Haa it’s very expressive. It’s been a long time I last saw him but I loved to see him again. Working with Uncle Lai Ashadele, it’s a lot of fun; you wouldn’t even update you are working. He plays with us and you won’t even feel that you are working. You will think ready to react are in your house anyways we usually used his piedаterre as set. He usually throws his door open to on top. We even go as far as cooking. Uncle Lai Ashadele is a wonderful person. I really loved working with him. I’m glad he was my mentor.
What are some of articles being a celebrity has deprived you?
Sometime you stumble on rest Amala joint, where corporate people go do and queue intrude to eat but as a known figure, it is unthinkable for you to walk in there and eat like at times other person that’s one of the pains of being a celebrity. The best you can is to ask someone give somebody the job of go and buy for you in a plate but symbolize you to eat it the way it is being keep there you can’t. But no matter how you want problem look at it the gain is more than the sorrow. Stardom opens doors if you know your way.
Would you remark you are fulfilled?
Yes, acting for me is fulfilling.