Famous actor, ‘Deyemi Okanlawon, is the delight of movie producers who want to give their job the best shot. Though Okanlawon, who goes by the moniker, ‘Deyemi The Actor’, studied Chemical Engineering and had a stint at the corporate sector before acting came calling, since he became a regular face and brand on the movie scene, he has continued to show why he deserved the place he currently occupies in the hearts of his fans. He speaks with SEGUN ADEBAYO about his glowing career and what the future holds for him.
The entertainment industry, particularly the movie circle where you operate is constantly being peopled by different characters who are trying to force their way into the limelight. How do you feel about this development and its effect on the craft?
In my opinion, the sky is big enough for everyone but the truth is that it is the people who work on honing their craft and also understand the importance of the business of acting that will achieve long-term success and leave a legacy of excellence.
From what I have gathered, content is key and delivery is another selling point. You seem to have mastered both. How did you manage to push yourself to these heights?
I take every aspect of my work both on and off screen very seriously. I was taught to strive for excellence in everything I do, to avoid shortcuts as much as I can and to be intentional about my life and career goals. It has taken a while to materialise, and quite frankly it’s happening at the best possible time, but by God’s Grace I now attract top-tier producers and directors who produce the highest quality productions within and outside Nigeria.
From the look of things, Deyemi appears to be on the faces of many people, mainly for the good reasons. But before now, you could pass for someone who just wants to make his movie and go back home. What changed?
I came into the film industry straight from corporate Nigeria and my mindset was to treat this career as any other regular job. It took a while to realise that in entertainment you also have to be a brand and be seen. I discovered that apart from the craft of acting there is also the business side of acting which includes building a brand but I’m quite happy that I worked on substance first.
At some point, you were literally quiet in the industry. You didn’t appear in many movies and it seemed as though you may have been forgotten. How did you handle that moment?
Sometime in 2019 I felt a level of dissatisfaction with the work I was doing and decided to take a break, so I dusted my resume and went back to the corporate world. I joined Ben Bruce’s Silverbird Film Distribution during which I got even more exposed to the workings of the Nigerian film industry and I barely had time to act in films. When the pandemic hit in 2020 and all cinemas were shut I started getting calls from producers I had always wanted to work with including Funke Akindele, Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Adetiba, Niyi Akinmolayan, Moses Inwang and by the time cinemas opened back, the calls kept coming in so I decided to return to acting full time.
You have been around for a while and you don’t appear to be leaving the stage anytime soon, what do you plan to do to keep this face relevant for another decade or more?
This may sound like a cliche, the truth always does, but I can sincerely say that I am here today and will continue to thrive only by the grace and mercy of God. My passion for acting, work ethics towards my craft, discernment in knowing what work to do, ability to nurture the right relationships and wisdom in handling various aspects of my life have helped greatly. I also have quite a few mentors – RMD, Denzel Washington and Pastor Poju Oyemade are my top three whose lives I have observed to understand how to build a successful life, wholesome family and long-term career.
Looking at the transformation your career has gone through and how you have become such a big name over the past few years, would you say you have quit the struggling stage of your career?
I have discovered that the “struggle” for an increasingly better life never ends. So while it is true that I now attract the best Nollywood productions and much higher earnings than before, my new goal it to look towards working across Africa and the rest of the world.
Let us take a peep into the beginning as there could not be the glory without the story. Have you always seen acting as your thing, or what prompted this life?
Acting was a serious hobby; as a matter of fact I considered it as ministry – my service to God, for most of my life but I really never intended to act professionally. In the university I studied Chemical Engineering and started a cake and bread business, which led to a career in sales and marketing, whilst also being a part of a school fellowship drama group, which has blossomed into the career I have now.
Those days when you had to grind and practically try to convince producers that you could deliver, how hard were those times for you? How did you cope with rejections?
For me the grind never stops because I always and will continue to aspire for more out of my life and career. As a middle child with no special privileges, I learnt very early to handle and externalise rejection, this greatly helped my sales and marketing career and eventually became an invaluable tool as an actor. For example, lots of audition, like job interviews, can be really stressful atimes, but for me auditions are not just an opportunity to have fun with a character which I may or may not get. Auditions are also a great platform to showcase my talent and sell myself for future roles if by chance there were reasons beyond talent that I may not get a role.
For somebody who studied Chemical Engineering to later take up acting as a profession, how did you convince yourself and particularly your parents about what you are doing today?
The last time I needed my parents’ consent for anything was in JSS class; once I had proven to them that I was pretty good at taking care of myself, they pretty much allowed me to live my life and were only there to give advice which I mostly didn’t take. Convincing myself to leave a great paying job was actually the real struggle but after a series of what I regard as divine occurrences followed by moments of deep reflection I asked myself what it is that I could possibly be the best at in the world – the answer that came up was acting.
Recently you starred in box office and major movies including Omo Ghetto The Saga, King of Boys, among others. Tell us how these projects enhanced your brand?
The first time anyone (except my wife) referred to me as an A-list actor was in 2021 but for almost 8 years before that I had conducted myself as though I were already a premium, A-List actor and carefully selected people and projects to work with and on. I’ve been very fortunate that this has led to opportunities to work with some of the box office juggernauts and best producers (including Mo Abudu, Funke Akindele, Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Adetiba, Toyin Abraham, Niyi Akinmolayan, Uduak Isong Oguamanam, Biodun Stephens, Kayode Kasumu, Vincent Okonkwo, Inkblot production, Film One entertainment, etc) and premium brands in Nigeria. I look forward to working with a lot more A-list producers like Bolanle Austen-Peters, Ayo Makun, Steve Gukas, Editi Effiong and others.
Elections are fast approaching and we know how much influence celebrities have on the people and their opinion. What are your thoughts about 2023 and the state of the nation?
I believe Nigerians should stop looking for a self-professed “incorruptible saviours” who either wore or didn’t wear shoes to school nor were liberated from prison like Joseph to come and “change” our fortunes to the next level. We should also stop looking to political/entertainment and social media influencers to tell us who to vote for; we should do our individual research for the right candidate and then put our effort and, if possible, put our money where our mouth is. If and when I find a candidate I believe in, I will support that person with my vote, my influence and my resources. We need to stop focusing on career politicians to help us out of the mess they and their kind created and elect candidates who have proof of success in the real world and made their money and impact without political affiliations and favouritism such as Peter Obi, Banky Wellington, amongst others.