I TELL YOUNG GUYS THAT I’M THEIR MUM — LILLIAN AMAH-ALUKO

Lillian Amah-Aluko featured in the film, ‘Out of bounds.’ Though not a regular face in Nollywood flicks, she features more in soaps and is also one of the prominent Nigerian cast in ‘Jacob’s Cross.’

You have not been featuring in films, is this deliberate?

Well, I did a movie last year, which has not been released to the public. It should be out later in the year

Before the movie, what were you up to?

I have been doing more of television in the last four years.

Why have you chosen television over Nollywood?

I have never really been a Nollywood person and you only go to where you are sought. Maybe they don’t know me but I have done a number of movies.

How did acting begin for you?

It all began when I saw an interview of Richard Mofe-Damijo in the newspaper and he said he was doing an audition for a movie.  I had always liked watching movies and I did some acting in school. I made up my mind and went for the audition. I got the role of Alero in ‘Out Of Bounds.’ That was my very first movie and I got two awards for that role. We started shooting that movie in 1997 and we finished in 1998. I think the active years of my career only just started because all along, I was in the banking industry. I resigned in 2005.

Did you study theatre arts in school?

No, I did not. My first and second degrees were in English, so that probably accounts for my diction. I studied at the University of Lagos.

Were you juggling acting with banking?

Yes, I was, but banking did not leave me with much time for acting. I quit banking because I wanted to follow my heart. My passion is acting; banking was just a career to while away time.

Do you miss banking?

I have never missed banking and I don’t think I will ever. I won’t go back to banking for all the money in the world. I had no bad experience because it was actually good when I was there. When I was leaving, my MD asked why I was leaving. He said the bank knew I was acting and they had never asked me to stop.  I said to him, ‘Sir if I have to take my acting further, then something must suffer and it will be your work.’ It does not feel right if I am taking their money and I am not putting in my best. At that time, I was the acting head of private banking and I had a lot of work on my table.

Do you intend to be a producer someday?

I will do both. I want to remain an actor and a producer. I know I am not asking for too much and I know life on both sides is interesting. I produced a movie in 2010; ‘Jungle Ride’,   and I co-produced the last movie I did which hopefully will be released into the market in August.

Apart from movies, what other things do you do to earn a living?

I do presentations and I produce events for people.

You must have had your fair share of scandals…

Thankfully, I have not been in the papers that much and not being everywhere has helped me. You don’t see me at all events. What you should see and what you actually see are my works. But then, if something that is not true comes up about me, I won’t let it bother me.

Is it right to say you have been upstaged by the current crop of actors?

Go and bring that actor that I can’t compete with. I can hold my own any day when it comes to acting and I have with me years of qualitative experience. On the other hand, if it has to do with looks, I dare say I don’t look bad.

What do you think about the new-generation of actors?

I never like to generalise. I think there are some talented ones among them. I don’t want to call names because some of them are my friends. In our time, some people had no business being in the movies. I think those of them who are into it are doing quite well.

How old are you?

It is in the public domain and everybody knows my age. I am in my 40s and I know I look very good for my age. Let producers bring on the roles; I am ready to take on youngsters.

Did marriage slow down your career in any way?

It did not. My husband does not have a problem with my career as an actor.

How did you meet him?

I met him through my cousin. We got married in 2004, so this is our ninth year as a couple.

You have slimmed down considerably,

The funny thing is the television makes me look big. So, when people see me on TV, they assume I am a big person. I think I have lost a bit of weight but it is not a conscious situation. When my friends kept telling me I was losing weight, I thought I was just working too hard. I get the eyes from young guys and I just tell them, ‘step back, this is your mummy.’ I tell them I did not get these wrinkles and fine lines from make-up, I got them from years of experience. It’s nice to be admired anyway.

So you have not been exercising or on a special diet?

I am not on any diet but I don’t eat a lot either. I used to exercise years back when I worked in the bank because the gym was next to my office and I went there daily.

Did you deliberately adopt a low profile life?

I have always been low-profile because I want my works to speak for me. If I do a great movie tomorrow and everybody is talking about it, then people would talk about me. If they are not talking about my work, then I don’t want them talking about me.

How do you like to dress?

Style for me, is what makes you who you are; it is an expression of your inner self. If you are classy and elegant, it would show in your style. I dress to be comfortable, I dress to suit the occasion I am going to, and I try to be different. For work, I like to be comfortable so I wear a lot of jeans and flat shoes. Sometimes, I wear dresses made from African print but when it’s a glamorous event, I pull out the stops.

What’s the most challenging role you have played in a movie?

I played a house girl in ‘Dear Mother’ and it was a different role from what I had been playing because I had to be kneeling and speaking with a ‘bush’ accent.  The role I played in a yet-to-be-released docu-movie, ‘Run.’ was that of a ‘runs’ girl with plenty of make-up and cigarette smoking.

What kind of upbringing did you have?

I am from Anambra State and I had a comfortable childhood. My father was in the navy and I grew up in Freetown, Sierra Leone and it was a tight-knit loving family even though my parents were quite strict. So I did not have the opportunity to do many of the things my peers did but it was fun.

Did your parents oppose your choice of career?

Then, all my father wanted to know was that it was not going to affect my job as a banker. I told him it was not going to. He also said he did not want to see negative stories about me in the newspapers. I promised him I was not going to disappoint him and by the grace of the Almighty, I have not.

Source: Punch