You must be diligent to reach the top in movie industry —Lateef Adedimeji

Having played many lead roles in major Nollywood movies that have hit the cinemas so far this year,  Lateef Adedimeji is on another level of his acting career.  The Lagos State-born movie producer and director, at the premiere of the movie, ‘Love Castle’ recently spoke with FEMI OGUNTAYO about his career.

This year has been a great year for you; from ‘The New Patriots’ and ‘Ayinla’, to ‘Love Castle’. How would you describe the experience so far in 2021?

Awesome all the way. I wasn’t expecting it this close, but I think when you put in a lot of efforts in whatever you do, even when you are given just a scene and you play it like it is lead character, some people would watch it and from there and they would come for you with a better role. I think the whole thing started during ‘Sugar Rush’. I think I did two or three scenes but I played it like my life depended on it. And that is what I have always been told; that when you are given just a scene, play it like your life you depends on it because it might just be that one scene that someone will see and will call you. I am sure that was what Jade saw and she saw Ayinla, a lead character. So, from three scenes to a man who showed from the beginning to the end, it is something.

Briefly describe your role in the new movie ‘Love Castle’.

I played the role of ‘Chi Joshua’, a swimmer, a man with a disability, and despite that doesn’t give up on his dreams and goes all the way to make it. It means, no matter who you are, no matter the position you find yourself, you don’t give up on what you want to be in life. Whether you have any disability in you or you are a complete human being, go for what you want and when you believe in yourself, you will achieve your dreams. That is what happens to Chi Joshua that he becomes a world champion and everybody is celebrating him.

Was it in any way challenging for you fitting into that kind of character?

It was quite challenging because, I don’t have any deformity and I had to act like someone who has a deformity. It was a whole lot trying to battle with my tongue, because he doesn’t speak well like that, but I loved it, because as an actor, you just have to get it right.

What was it like working with the other cast and crew?

Amazing! We had great people on the set of the movie. We had veterans on-set too. We had Zach Orji, Femi Adebayo, Kehinde Bakole and then Desmond Elliot sitting on the director’s chair. You just had to get it right with him. There were days when we had to shoot a scene all through the day, he just wants perfection and you just have to get it right.

Did you find the fact that you were on set with all these veterans intimidating or challenging, especially when you are playing a lead role?

I didn’t find it intimidating, rather I found it challenging because while acting with them and concentrating on my acting, I had to look for a way to ‘steal’ from their character and their wealth of knowledge and experience. They have been there since God-knows-when. I am just coming, and picking from them has always been a thing of joy for me, because it is an opportunity for me to build myself to become a better actor.

What are your hopes on the movie ‘Love Castle’?

It will go far and I believe when you watch this movie, you will love your culture the more. Because I think at some point, we were losing it. We were losing the culture thing about us because of civilisation, forgetting that this is where we come from. There is a saying that ‘a river that forgets its origin will dry off’. There might be something about our culture that we need to change, but we shouldn’t throw it away totally. You move with the civilisation and globalisation; you don’t throw away what makes you. I believe after watching this movie, a lot of people would want to have a positive impact on everybody.

How would you describe the producer of the movie ‘Love Castle’ and say something briefly about the late Rachael Oniga, a member of the cast, who just passed away?

The producer is somebody that will not give less to what she wants. I saw her on set; I saw the way she does her thing. She doesn’t mind if it’s going to cost her extra money, she is always ready to put it down. That is a filmmaker that knows what she wants because she understands that if it falls short of what she has envisaged before, she might not be able to pass the right message across to people. She is always on-point to want to get her things right and done well. To Aunty Rachael, may her gentle soul rest in peace. I met her on set of this movie, in fact, we were still on set of ‘Naija Christmas’ by Kunle Afolayan like three days to her demise, we were still together. We chatted, we even talked about the premiere of the movie ‘Love Castle’, how we couldn’t wait. But, as God would have it, she is gone. We love her but God loves her more.

How would you rate Nollywood, compared to what a movie industry is globally?

We are getting there, we are so close, and we are doing great this time. I see a movie industry that is ready to compete favourablly globally. We are on Netflix Original now. It means we are getting there. It means we are paying more attention to details; it means we are not just doing movies, we are ready to do quality movies.

What do you think needs to be done to get Nollywood to that level?

Simple, don’t try to do it because everyone is doing it. You try to do it because you want to make a mark, because you want to make a change and be known for quality. That is what it will take to get Nollywood to that level.

Do you also have people you are grooming?

Yes, because I have got my own academy. I had to wait till the time I know I have what it takes to build up other people. When I was nothing and was still struggling and I wanted to train other people, how is that possible? A trainee training people? It doesn’t make any sense. So, I had to wait for my time to know that, okay, at least, at this time, I can say I want to do my own movie and all of the people I am training, I put them in it and try to raise them up too. My academy is going to be launched anytime soon, by God’s grace.

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