How I found my inner peace — Adeniyi Johnson

Popular Nollywood actor, Adeniyi Johnson seems to have put his troubled moments behind him. For him, concentrating on his job and putting his best foot forward always means so much to him than anything at the moment. The crossover actor, in this interview with SEGUN ADEBAYO, speaks on his career, life and plans for the future.

From the look of things, you appear to be enjoying your career at the moment. You are always on demands for different functions, apart from movies. How would you describe the experience so far?

Firstly, I will give God all the praise and adoration for how far He has brought me as an actor of note. And, of course, I will describe the experience as awesome and great. I would not have come this far without the grace of God and support of my fans. I don’t take these things for granted because they mean so much to me.  I appreciate the growth and the success stories that people are associating with. It shows I have done quite well. I am not resting on whatever oars that I have got; I just want to keep going. So, talking about the experience, I will say I am truly enjoying the experience.

 

You will recall some of the troubled moments that almost tainted your career and how Adeniyi Johnson managed to come out of it with his shoulders high. It is not common to see people come out fine the way you have done. What’s the secret?

I have heard people ask me how I managed to come out of the experience and still remained focus on my job. The simple answer is that I have come to understand that holding on to one’s inner peace and believing in God in difficult times have never failed. I actually didn’t do anything special. I simply held on to my inner peace. I never stopped trusting In God. I knew God would vindicate me, and obviously, He has. I am grateful to God.

How hard was that moment for you; I mean going forward and making yourself relevant enough to still command a sizeable number of jobs?

If the truth must be told, it was a tough moment for me. Those, who were close to me would, know what it took me some time to move on. One big lesson from it all was that I learnt how far restlessness and diligence can take anyone, who desires to remain strong. Moving on was not easy, but the day I made up my mind about going forward, I didn’t see anything stopping me.

 

Looking at your acting career over the years, you have been ticking all the boxes and making yourself available for the big jobs. Did you see any of these coming when you started out as an actor?

The truth is that I have always seen the bigger picture in my head. I knew how I wanted my career to pan out and I have consistently worked on my flaws to give my best to any good job that comes my way. Having said that, I saw success coming because as a man or somebody who wants to keep growing in life, you should understand the philosophy that no one starts small and wants to remain small forever. At every stage of growth, there will be challenges, strong enough to pull you down. But you must never remain down should you fall at any point. I guess that was what worked and still works for me.

 

You are one of the few Yoruba-speaking movie actors that get called up for jobs from the English- speaking movie producers.  How do you see the two sides?

I don’t see it in any special way because the fact remains that both sides are lovely and they present almost a similar experience for me. As a matter of fact, each comes with its sweetness, pleasure and pains. That’s the way I see it.

 

It is believed they pay well because they have the biggest market and financiers in top places. Is this true?

Well, I share in that common knowledge. It is not a hidden fact that Yoruba movie is restricted due to language barrier. But I love my job and I am always ready to give my best anytime the opportunity to tell a story presents itself, whether in the English or Yoruba-speaking movies.

 

Would Adeniyi Johnson rather stick to English movies because the pay is good?

I think I would love to say that I’m a Nollywood actor and not a Yoruba actor as some people always refer to some of us. I don’t see why I should be tagged a Yoruba actor. We need to start educating people about this fact. If others don’t care about it, I truly care. I do English movies, soap opera and Yoruba movies, so the idea of sticking to one does not arise, as far as I am concerned; I’m sticking with movies- English or Yoruba.

 

How long will it take to replicate similar fee in the Yoruba sector of Nollywood?

That’s a tall dream because only God can tell but I strongly believe that Rome was not built in a day. We just have to keep working hard and putting our best all the time. The answer to that question is hard work. We will get there.

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Does this make you sad?

Of course, it does because at times Yoruba movie-makers go through rough and terrible path to get their movies done. Things like these happen and sometimes, you feel bad about the situation, but as I said we will get there if we don’t give up.

How long has Adeniyi Johnson been an actor and what has kept you on the game?

It may surprise you to know that I have been an active actor for over 15 years. What has keeps me in the game? God and focus on the bigger picture kept me going. Another fact is that my passion for this job has kept me afloat. I am not just surviving; I am living my career and enjoying my time as an actor. It can only get better with time.

You and your wife, Seyi Edun seem to be soaked in each other’s love. How would describe her person?

Edun is a wonderful personality that has endeared herself to many people with her heart of kindness and resilience to see people around her do good. That, for me, was a big attraction. It remains the attraction, even till today.

 

Is it true that Adeniyi Johnson had been seeing Seyi Edun before you broke up with Toyin?

I really don’t want to talk about this aspect. The truth is that Seyi and I started dating in May 2016, while Toyin and I broke up August 2015, so kindly check your facts right.

 

You had issues with Toyin, an actress in the Yoruba movie industry. Your new wife, Edun is also a well-known actress in the same industry. Don’t you fear you might have same issue with her like you did with Toyin?

I don’t fear anything. I am happy with the decision. Crashing an SUV doesn’t mean you can’t cruise in an SUV again.

 

While the drama with you and your ex-wife lasted, some people felt you were the black sheep…

That’s one of the misconceptions. You really have to meet me to know me. You don’t base your judgment on how I’ve been painted or what media had written about me. At times, the media does more damage than good to our image.

I plan my schedule very well

 

Do you see any room for reconciliation or she feels like coming back?

We have both moved on. She’s engaged now. Why would she come back?

 

When you meet on set or public events, how do you two react to each other?

We feel like actors and colleagues. That’s the way we feel.

 

Shortly after the break-up, she seemed to have found her spark. She’s now rated as one of the hottest movie makers in the industry. How do you feel about her success?

I am happy for her. She has always been one of the biggest, It didn’t just happened now.