My cameras’re dusty, movie is my life now –Tobi Bakre

• Tobi Bakre: I’ll give up my legs, arms to deliver any good script

Speaking of Big Brother Naija housemates who have worked hard to maintain the fame the reality show presented on a platter, Tobi Bakre is top on that list. In this interview with IFEOMA ONONYE, Bakre speaks about the new movie projects that have changed the tide of his acting career and why his photography career, which gave him a little fame on social media years back, is cooling off at the background, for now

 

 

Let’s start with how fatherhood is treating you. Is it difficult or easy breezy?

The journey of fatherhood has been surreal. I can’t get over God’s miracle in how children are made. Just yesterday, he was a tiny dot in the womb. Now, he is crawling and grabbing everything on sight with the cutest giggles. I am glad to be able to experience this in my lifetime. I hope to raise a super confident and happy child. It’s constant work every other day but I am more than glad to be doing my part every step of the way.

Once we become parents, there is always this nostalgic feeling knowing that some of the things our children are doing presently, we did the same or more in our time. Have you felt like that watching your son grow?

 

Yes I have. He is only 7 months now but I can already see how active and strong willed he is.

We will be having a lot to enjoy together and some things to cautiously observe correct if need be. I hope he doesn’t give me as much headache as I gave my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I was still a very good child.

You have been doing a lot of acting these days. When did you realise that you could be successful as an actor?

I started enjoying acting from the get-go. I was eager to learn and get better like every other person I happened to be on set with. I was always asking questions and seeking opinions with regards to my performance.

I always took notes of the criticisms, what stood out in other actors’ performances I thought were spot on and went back to the board always to adjust. I watched a few of the episodes from ‘Hustle’ the first production I was on, and I liked what I saw. Even with what I thought then to be below per performance, I still came through. I could only think, how then would things be when I get more comfortable in front of the camera with better acting skills and a better understanding of the profession. I knew the space definitely wasn’t ready for what was coming. I don’t think they still are.

What role did Big Brother Naija have in shaping your journey to becoming an actor?

BBN helped me break from the corporate life to the media side of life. After the show, most of the opportunities that came along with the popularity the show brought were all in the media space. I was open to trying out new things and then stick to the things I enjoyed that also brought good income. The show gave me the popularity in the media space and also public popularity producers could leverage on to further push their projects.

Hence, there was room for a trade-off (media publicity for what you see is what you get kind of acting), which I took advantage of to learn and eventually show the world I could really do this.

You are one of the lead actors in the new movie, ‘Brotherhood’. What was it like, working on that project?

Brotherhood is another project that will forever resonate with me and I believe will be key in my acting career. I read the story and quickly understood most of the requirements to deliver the character strongly. I always love a challenge.

I took this one personally. I wanted to look and be different from any other character I ever played. I leveraged on already existing things about my person and added some add-ons to spice up the character. It’s an action movie and I am full of action every hour of the day. The assignment was to go in front of the camera and be the very good bad-guy and that was exactly what I became.

Also, getting to work with other colleagues I have so much love and respect for was bliss. We could feed of each other and bring a lot of things to life. A good number of things on the movie weren’t scripted.

A good number of ideas also popped up seeing the synergy and bond on set between all characters.

 

What character did you play in the film, and what did it take to get into character while in production?

I played the role Akin Adetula aka Kalashnikov (One of the brothers).

Based on what myself and the producer Jade had discussed, which also was the vision of the Director- Loukman, we wanted a totally different look and feel for the character, and I was willing to go all the way. I changed my diet, changed my workout, shaved my head, pierced my ears to look like the character we all envisaged. I loved it. Getting into character wasn’t too much of a hassle.

The story, the stage design, my look, made it easier to stay locked into the character.

Would you say you pushed yourself beyond your boundaries in the movie?

I am strong and relentless. I love seeing creativity brought to life. I will give an arm and a leg to bring my directors superb motion picture to life. But you see on this project, I was tested. We happened to have most of our shooting days during Ramadan.

I was fasting for a good number of the days we were on set. It made it extra challenging for me. After hours and hours of expending all the  energy on set, I’ll still have to kick in a few hours at the gym to maintain the character’s physique. I always had the end result in mind.

Nobody will know or understand I was fasting, or tired, or even hurt hence, I couldn’t take any chances. We go all out for the perfect picture consistently. Every other character on set also came through! There was no weakness. When I felt tired, I saw what my fellow actors were delivering and I became energized to keep going. Like Zubby Micheal will always say, we go give them ‘wotowoto’

You are also the lead character in Jade Osiberu’s highly anticipated film, ‘Gangs of Lagos’. Tell us a bit about that experience…

 

GAAAAAAAAAANGS OF LAGOS!!!! You have to shout it whenever you say it. Everybody around you must hear it. Everybody around you and in the world must see it. So far in my acting career, I will say this is that movie. A movie of many things to me.

It holds many sentiments. It’s my first lead role as an actor. It’s the first time anybody was going to trust me to deliver on what I will call a big stage which has now become a global stage. It was the first time in a long time I really felt like I impressed myself and impressed everyone that has come across this project.

The movie will mean a lot to the Nigerian movie industry, and to have played lead on such along with the most amazing actors you can only dream of working with, I can only tell you God indeed works in miraculous ways. Being given such an opportunity and possibly delivering beyond expectations. I just keep saying, God you did that! Oluwatobilobaaaaa, you did that! Jade and Lala, you did that!

Would you say working with Jade Osiberu on Gangs of Lagos brought out a part of you that you had never experienced before?

I know Jade to be a very intentional person. She knows what she wants and exactly how she wants it. There was no way I was going to come on that project half-assed. I took acting classes with Lala and dedicated everything to learning all I could learn to deliver my character perfectly. I read the story severally back-to-back like a favourite novel. I had visualized it all and then we get on set and there is so much more to feed off.

We shot mostly in Isale Eko. We could all relate closely with the story and characters. We were all emotionally, physically, and psychologically invested in this project. I feel like as a professional actor, this is the first time I really acted. I shattered all internal emotional guards to be OBALOLA.

The story took me there. My director needed me to be there and stay there. The character will always stay with me. Seeing some of the clips now, 100% working with Mama J on this project did bring out a part of me I never experienced before.

Describe your character in Gangs of Lagos in one word?

Spirituspectaculamazing!!! It might not be a real word, but you get me!

What should the audience look out for in these two highly anticipated films you played lead roles in?

The audience need to see in realtime the future of Nollywood show facing in present times.

True story telling at its best! Best directing, Best acting, Best Lighting, Next level creativity, Next level collaborating, genius marketing and much more. It will inspire a lot of great things to come.

What do you look out for in a script when considering roles?

I check to see if Jade is writing, producing or directing. Haha. I read the whole script and pay attention to the emotions I feel while reading. If I get strong emotions while reading, the script has definitely picked my interest.

Have you ever rejected scripts since your journey in the movie industry started?

Yes I have! For different reasons.

Which movie would you say is most challenging so far and why?

They have all been challenging in their own unique ways. None was a breeze through. They both took blood, sweat and tears. I’ll call it a truce on this one.

Before Big Brother Naija, you had a little fame as a model and photographer. Do you still have time for these hobbies or should we call it career?

I haven’t taken photos in a while. I still model for brands I work with or when I wear interesting outfits, but my camera has been dusty, will definitely get back to it sometime in the near future.

Describe what having fun after a long day’s work is to you?

Fun after a long day’s work is coming home to make silly noises to my infant and watch him laugh and play all the way.