He may not be a regular face in Nollywood movies, but Gabriel Afolayan has mastered his craft so well that any appearance he makes is greeted with accolades. With a career that has earned him recognitions from home and abroad, Afolayan believes he has more to give and promised not to compromise his standard. In this interview with SEGUN ADEBAYO, the soft spoken actor speaks about his career among other issues.
You are one actor that people rarely see in movies as you seem to always breeze in and out. Is it that you don’t want to feature in movies or you don’t get invited to be part of movie projects?
Your first question cracks me really hard when you say I bounce in and out of the industry. I don’t bounce in and bounce out. It is just a careful career choice that I have chosen. I wish I could show you the number of scripts I get regularly that I don’t entertain.
You have always been like this…
The truth is I am only trying to make careful career choices for myself and giving the best of myself to the craft when the time is right. I don’t have to entertain all the jobs that come my way but I love to do what makes me happy and gives my career the facelift it needs.
The movie industry is currently structured in a way that does not give any actor the luxury of laxity. If you don’t put yourself out there constantly through your craft, you may suddenly become irrelevant when you should be on top of your game. How do you ensure that your career keeps getting the attention it deserves?
Like I said, I have chosen a career path that I must follow carefully and consciously. It does not mean my career will not be in the spotlight or I have to force my way into the game. Half of the time, it is always good to do things that resonate with you and your brand because whether you like it or not, whatever you feel as an actor in the role you are playing is what the audience will feel when they see you in the movie.
So this is more about the scripts for you?
A lot of times I get some scripts that I don’t fall for at all and I don’t mean any disrespect. I just don’t want to be part of that job.
So why did you decide to be part of Blood Sister movie?
The job is good and I love it. I fell for it.
It is good in what sense?
I fell in love with the script and it was something I really wanted to jump on. Secondly, I love the studio handling it-EbonyLife and thirdly Netflix. You know what it means to be on a job powered by Netflix as an actor. These are the factors I considered carefully before accepting the job.
What about the storyline?
The story itself has a lot of societal values instilled in it, one that the people will not just get to see but they will learn a lot from. They will be entertained and see likeable characters; you will see characters that are closer to you and those that are far distant to you. So all these key elements formed the reason why I chose the script.
The movie has been the talk of the town and people really commended your role and how it was interpreted. What do you make of this movie and how much did it change you as a man?
I think the lesson in the movie is my number one take away. The part that I played talks more about sibling’s rivalry which is imminent in all homes; setting standard and wanting the kids to match to it. This, for me, is a big issue that we don’t get to talk about more often. It is so deep in many homes today that people tend to cause unnecessary troubles in their homes because of this standard. So, I felt I could speak to the people through this character. I want people to know how bad this is and why parenting can be bad when you choose a favourite among your kids. It is so bad that some people grow old to keep fighting even among the family. Those are the ills in the movie that got me attracted to the role that I said there is nothing that will stop me from being part of this project. No other reason got me attracted to the movie.
Not even the money from Netflix?
I can tell you that it was not for the money.
But was the money good?
Yes, the money was good. Trust me when I say the money was good.
You have been part of a number of projects strongly powered by Netflix; what do you think the platform still needs to do to help the Nigerian movie industry to the next level?
I think Netflix is doing what it ought to do. Netflix has been doing really well and we all can see the results of the impact they have had on the industry.
So why does it seem as though the industry still struggles to meet up with the standard?
I think we need to organise ourselves more. I have to tell you for a fact that Nollywood as a whole needs a better organization. The Netflix has already done what we need from them. We now have to get serious about how we approach this platform and what we bring to the table. We have to honour this platform and do things the right way. This new project is one of the ways to do things the right way. The production aspect of this work is top notch.
Do you think Nollywood needs funding or a better structure?
You need to see how Netflix handles their job and glean from it. From the funding, to production and costume, it is top notch. You don’t have to cut corners or paint the picture the way it is not. With the funding the platform is providing, Nollywood needs to be better organised to get the best out of it.
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