Wednesday 22 August 2012
Desmond Eliot speaks on Acting and Nollywood by Adunola Oladapo
Desmond Elliot may need no introduction as he is a household name in Nollywood, but there are some things that may be new to his fans. In this interview with ADUNOLA OLADAPO, he speaks on such issues. Excerpts
How long have you been planning the movie directing career you are into right now?
A couple of years before I started in 2008. I decided to go fully into it when I started co-producing in 2007 and then I just thought I should just go into directing. It happened while I was acting and Lancelot inspired me a lot because at some point, we were mostly working with him. I liked the way he was driving the stories, I just reckoned that it was something I would love to do.
Did you go for any professional training?
Not at the beginning but yes, eventually. It is just like my life in the industry, at first, I just started and after some time, I went for training. I took courses in directing and read lots of books on directing, just to improve on what I am doing.
Which institutions did you take courses at?
Usually, when I go to the United States of America, like I have done twice. In The New York Film Academy, I have taken three-month courses, one month course on it. They are crash programmes basically and directing is something one can do if you put your mind to it. Everybody in the world can try and direct, but its knowing the principles, fundamentals, standards of directing that is the most important and those are things I have tried to learn.
Do you think the trainings will help improve the standard of movies that will be coming out of the industry?
It’s not so much as in the training. Training helps you understand the rudiments but what would make you create an impact is relating that to your society. Once you can relate what you have learnt to your society, then you have created an impact. So yes, I want to believe that with what I am doing that I am changing mindsets, changing minds, I am impacting on young and up-coming ones and also it can be an improvement on film production generally and to story lines that change societal values which is basically my aim.
Are you enjoying directing more than acting?
I will say yes, but not the money. The money is not as good as when you are acting in terms of financial gains.
Would you say directing is more emotionally stressful than acting, because we have seen some of the behind the scenes of some movies you have directed and witnessed the way you scream at actors?
I am what you call a screamer. I scream a lot on set when I am directing. One of the traits I took from my mum. I really don’t like indiscipline. Once you are not disciplined as an actor, I get really pissed off and my other side comes out. But the good thing about me is that when I scream that is where it stops. I don’t take it to heart.
It’s like you took a break from acting, are you back into it now?
Yes I took a break from acting in 2008 to 2010. I came back into acting last year. I didn’t act for three years.
Seems the movies you act in right now are mostly movies you direct or co-produce?
Yes, sometimes it’s because, maybe the character we invited to play the role didn’t appear at that moment or is not ready. Something usually happens and reluctantly I do those roles but now I have psychologically spoken to myself to come back into it. I used to be over weight and I am really trimming down now, trying to make sure that I get to size.
So, you are saying directing makes you lazy?
Somehow, directing makes you lazy because you just sit behind the camera, no one sees you and so you don’t pay attention to your weight. Behind the scene makes you very lazy because you do not care what people think of you behind the camera.
So, acting is more stressful?
Not really but as an actor, you make sure that you are fit. You have to stay in shape, if not you’ll bore your fans. And we all know that Nigerian fans do not advice, they abuse. They will say ‘look at this man, see how fat he is.
Can’t you see how your mates are looking?’
If you are to compare the emotional and physical stress of acting and directing, which would you say is more tasking?
You can never compare. There is no comparison between life as an actor and life as a director. It’s totally different. Directing is all encompassing. You take the pain, the stress, the headache. Its so stressful. As a director, I go home with headaches, Power Horse is my best friend, it’s crazy and it goes into post production because you have to see the end of the work. So, it’s so stressful.
How many movies have you done so far since your debut in the industry in 1999?
I like breaking it down into two. From 1999 to 2007, I would say I was doing an average of two films or three films a month but from 2008 till now, I will say I have probably done maybe six or seven films in all.
You must be well-loaded then?
It’s not like that.
Is it that you have gotten enough money from acting or are you taking your time to select scripts?
At some point you will realise that what matters is not money but bringing out good productions. You get to that point in your career; money is not the issue anymore. You don’t just take any role. Like now, I cannot take normal roles. I have to take something that would make me want to loose so much weight or put on so much weight or talk in a certain way. It has to be something that will be different.
You mostly co-produce movies, is there a reason you avoid producing personally?
I have co-produced about five or six movies, Guilty Pleasures, Holding Hope, Reloaded and some others. I have not single-handedly produced any except the movie I am going to Sierra Leone to shoot for one month. Its called Reflections. The one I am releasing in the cinemas, I co-produced with Caroline Danjuma. I prefer co-producing because one, you share risks, which is the idea people need to come together to form a body, not everybody doing individual stuff. So, if I bring my strong point, you bring your strong point and we build it together. It makes the production a lot easier than if one person risks it all. Producing is more tasking than acting because as an actor, you just act and you take your money and you are off till premiere day. But in producing and directing, it doesn’t end at just production, You take it up to post production.
There is a rumour that you are a United Nations ambassador, is it true?
I would not say I am a UN ambassador but I work closely with them.
Is it lucrative to work with them?
It’s a voluntary thing.
What exactly do you do for them?
They solicited our help into talking to government on certain programmes. For instance, planting flowers. I run an NGO called Desmond Elliot Foundation. They wanted to know how that relates to the environment and how they can support. not financially, that I will emphasise. But how they can support in giving other forms of help, may be humanly or technical in any sense. You can never get money from the UN. If it’s for money, don’t go to UN but they can train. Even when you are flying, they wont give you business class, it’s economy. Because these are part of their laid-down rule, It’s charity.
Tell us about the Desmond Elliot Foundation, how come no one has heard of it?
It’s a foundation that is sadly not too efficient right now because of funding. Before then, it was solely funded by me and I was thinking of how I can bring in other people into believing in that vision. There is very little you can do with just one person. Bringing money out of just one source but if you have different people contributing, it makes it easier. What we do in the foundation is to sensitise people on water, sanitation and hygiene and we have been doing that for almost four years now.
But you can partner government?
It’s not that easy
How can someone like you complain of finance, but you are a Glo ambassador?
It is still my money we are talking about. For three years plus, I have used my money to fund these projects that I am into. Foundations are supposed to generate money, for instance other bigger organisations or individuals are supposed to now contribute and say ‘do this for this course’ but at the end of the day, it’s difficult to get anyone to contribute.
Running the project on my own is somehow tasking because each programme you go for run into millions and it will run me out of the market. But we are picking up gradually. We partner with different NGOs as well to see what we can accomplish.
While starting your acting career what was your mother’s reaction when she saw you on screen?
She was exicted. She complained when she had not seen any of the movies I have done and I always went out in the morning and come back at night. She has not seen money and she has not seen any film. The first time she saw me on screen was in a movie, Suitors, where I played an extra role. While watching, we waited and waited for my part to come so she could see me. She almost gave up. After a while, she will say ‘Shola where are you?’ and I will tell her to wait that they will soon show it.
Your name is also shola?
Yes, they call me Shola at home. I am a Lagosian, so when they finally showed my part, I had to rewind and show her, ‘Mum look at me’. She was very proud and the first day I brought money home, I became her favourite son.
Were you a rebellious son while growing up?
I had a very strict mother. The slightest thing, she can take you to police station.
Has she done that to you before?
Oh! Yes, she held me by my hand to the police station. She told the officer on duty to help discipline and beat me. People will beg on the way but she will drag me. She will hold my short and drag me to the station. She did that twice when we were still living in Jos.
What about dad, you speak more of your mum?
I think I am.
About your twins, you have two sets. Is there any kind of food you eat or does twins run in the family?
Twins run in my wife’s family. The first set of twins, I was grateful and happy. The second one I was not in the country when she called me and told me about it and I didn’t believe it . I was just saying no, she asked why I was saying no, I told her I was not expecting it.
Originally, how many kids do you want to have?
I am still hoping to have three more eventually. I am not kid. I want seven children.
What if she has triplet this time?
It’s okay. Let God just give us the ability to take care of them and give them good education.
So, you love children this much?
I am in love with children. I bathe my kids. I bathe the four of them whenever I am around. I wake them up and bathe them.
How many boys and girls?
Three boys and a girl.
Sure the girl is your favourite?
She is an exciting person to be around. She is the tiniest of them all, she is the third and she is very impressionable. She leaves you with an impression. People say she is like me.
Do you see any of your kids going into acting?
One actually did once, Denzel. He is one of the first.
So, we should watch out for Denzel Elliot this time not, Washington?
I am hoping. They are Desmond, Denzel, Donald and Donna.
How many years ago did you get married?
This is my ninth year. I didn’t have kids for four years.
Was it intentional?
It was not intentional. It was just a delay and it affected me then.
How did you take it then?
For me, I have always loved kids. I have always wanted kids. It didn’t come and I was wondering what was happening. Of course I was disturbed but we trusted in God.
Was there pressure from home?
Our parents didn’t pressure us. My wife panicked and you know we had to go for tests like two years later and it was just a question of being patient. She did IVF a couple of times as well with the hope that a miracle will happen. It was just me and the fact that I have always wanted to be a father. I love the feel and it’s even more lovelier when the kids are growing and it’s fun.
During the four years of waiting, was there a time you thought of that the problem came from you?
Of course. We went to hospitals both at home and abroad. Of course, you get worried and unsettled. It’s the the kind of problem especially when you know you are not the kind that did all those rascally stuff.
So, you were never a playboy?
No, I was not. I didn’t deal with women.
Are you sure?
I promise you I didn’t and that is the truth. That was why I felt bad when the babies were not coming.
But people see you as one?
It’s okay to see me as one. I have a very bad mouth.
How many are you in the family?
From my dad, I am the sixth out of eleven children, from my mum, I am the first.
Tell us how you met your wife?
I met her in school, University of Jos. We were in the same church. We are church people.
Are you saying you are a born-again Christian?
I am very close to God and yes you can say I am born-again. We met and one thing let to another and we started becoming close. I fell in love and I asked the woman if she would be my girlfriend and she said no.
She bounced you with all your fine boy?
Yes oh, but I don’t see myself as a fine boy. She wanted to hear from God.
What struck you about her?
First, it was her beauty. She wasn’t the flashy, let me put it in your face kind of person and she loved God so much, not in my own sense. Like you have to talk to the holy spirit before you do certain things.
I wasn’t thinking ‘wife’ then because we dated like eight years before coming into marriage. As we became closer, I just fell in love and when it comes to love, you do not tell your heart who to love, so it was the fact that I love her and it’s even sweeter now because we have grown better and we understand each other. Only that she likes money a lot more than I used to think she liked money.
She has four children and she shops for the home and kid?
Thank you women. When I tell her that she likes money she will say, ‘its not fair, these things you say’
What does she do?
She used to work in a bank but right now I run a distribution company for films so she handles that part.
You met your wife before acting came in, did you expect that you could take roles of where you could kiss?
I never thought about taking such roles and she did not want me to take such roles either but it was just the Idea of doing something good. Just the feel of wanting to act. As I grew in the industry, I kept refusing the bedroom scenes because they were against my Christian faith but as time went on, I discovered that I was not matured enough to handle such roles then. As growth came into the industry and I became more experienced on the field, I now understood how it was done so I learned.
So now, it does not affect your Christian faith?
No, because I am just in the bedroom with the person and I am not doing anything. I am not nude and I cannot do nudity. Now I have the maturity to do it without any emotions erupting.
But you could kiss?
Yes, I can kiss, the way they do it film wise. I have never done that on set before.
Tell us how they do the kissing in the movie that is different from the real thing?
It’s a secret, if I tell you our secret, will you tell me the secret of how you people make money in your newspaper company?
What was your wife’s reaction when you first took the kissing role?
Every reaction is not nice. Few days ago, they were showing one of my old films on African Magic, I was in the studio attending to a serious editing work and she called me to tell me she saw me kissing somebody. Can you imagine even years after, with four lovely kids oh, she is still jealous?. But she knows it’s nothing, just a make-believe.
Are you working on any movie now?
I will be bringing out my new movie ‘In the Cupboard’ soon. It’s a movie about a family with different secrets.
Halima Abubakar speaks with Femi Salawu
Halima Abubakar is angry and she makes no pretence about it! The diminutive Nollywood actress is upset with a lot of things. Hear the Ebira, Kogi State-born thespian: “I have really gone through many things in my life. It has not been an easy journey, but I thank God I was not broken. Sometimes people make you lose confidence in yourself and you just want to give up. So I am really happy for my strength and God.
“People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you,” she adds.
Asked to comment on her once robust relationship with Nollywood pal, Tonto Dikeh, Miss Abubakar waxes philosophical. “Ok, after a while some people just grow apart in life,” she begins.
“That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser now. At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person.”
Halima Abububakar, in this touching interview opens up on her love life, business, upbringing and many other issues.
So what are the current projects taking your time?
I have been shooting movies in Owerri and Awka but I have not been to any location in Asaba this year. I have been to Enugu three times and now I am shooting in Lagos. I am doing a documentary about bullying. You can call it my pet project. It won’t be more than 40 minutes because we don’t intend to waste anyone’s time.
Of all charitable causes, why bullying?
Because I have been bullied for most part of my childhood and adolescent years. I want to focus on this because a lot of people are scared to speak-up maybe because of threats. These things are serious, parents need to talk to their kids to find out about this especially kids in boarding schools. It is not as rosy as it seems. I am inspired by things that has happened to me in my life to put them in writing and pictures. It is just a subject that I like. We don’t always have to do romance all the time. And whether we admit it or not, bullying is one of the reasons so many people do what they are not supposed to do. Some go into smoking weed just for self-worth among peers especially to prove a point to bullies.
Bullying must have been a traumatic experience for you to decide to make a movie out of it. Could you share some of the experience with us?
Oh yes! While I was in primary and secondary schools and all the way to my career in Nollywood, most of my friends have exploited my being quiet in a very disrespectful manner. Perhaps, because one is not a star or don’t have what they possess and because of this, they don’t think you belong to whatever class they have. I have been through this from fellow actors especially the female ones. When I look back, I can’t fathom what I have put up with in the name of friendships. But seriously shame on them for making another human being like them feel worthless.
I am surprised that you are bringing up something that happens among celebrities, which many don’t like to admit
I have no fear about saying this, will they come and beat me for this? I am sure some of them will think that I am mentioning names but I am not here to do that. I am sure when they see the movie I am doing now, everybody will know their characters. People will never come out and say this but when I come out to talk, they would say whatever. Bullying can come in different forms.
Can you tell us what kind of bullying exists among celebrities?
For instance, some people just don’t think that you belong to their clique or class. Once a friend invited me to be a member of celebrity group on Blackberry Messenger and I accepted. Not long after, my friend told me that a certain star just queried my invitation to the group because I am a friend with people they are not friends with. I was like are they sharing money for being a member of this group? I am so ashamed of the person. Interestingly, this is a person that calls me on the phone often. So obviously, the so called stars or whatever have their own clique and they oppress one another and I don’t want to belong to anyone.
But has this kind of rivalry ever degenerated to physical assault?
Yes once or twice, it got physical with people whom I call friends. You know, I just got tired of the shouting matches and the disrespect. I realized that such friendship is not adding anything positive to my life and they are not feeding me. In fact, one of those actresses told me that I have been in this industry for long enough and that I should try to find something else because obviously acting is not working for me. You can imagine an actress say these to my face and we are on the same set. Everybody’s destiny can never be the same. I cannot be a star the same time as you. I hear people say stuff like you have been there before her, yet, you are playing a supporting role. For goodness sake, I don’t care so long as I am working, besides I don’t need to appear in every movie to become a star. In other climes, you don’t have to feature in 100 movies to become a star, just a movie is enough to set one apart for life. Let them not forget that I left the Nollywood scene for five years yet I am back and still doing what I know how to do best. I think this is no mean feat. Anybody who is unhappy with that should go question God.
Lately, it was reported in the papers that you had a quarrel with actress Tonto Dikeh. What is the true picture?
Oh no, we never quarreled. I only read it in the papers just like everyone else did. We never had any verbal quarrel.
So what is your current relationship with her?
She is just my friend and colleague that is all.
But it is believed that both of you used to be very close friend
(Cuts in) Ok, after a while in life some people just grow apart. That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser . At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person. I don’t think that I have had any verbal quarrel with anybody. I am that kind of person who would not confront you but give you space.
What does friendship mean to you or who are your friends?
Hmm! The people I have known for over 10 years or people who I grew up with. Some of them are people who helped me as a young girl. I believe those are the people who can be real to me because they are only here because we have been friends for long. I prefer it that way, they are not in Nollywood because friends in Nollywood usually become jealous after a while.
Does it mean that you don’t have friends in Nollywood?
(Laughs) I do have friends but everybody knows that I don’t attach anything to that friendship thing because it will not change anything about my life. So, what I have are colleagues not friends.
Your frankness is amazing, where did you get this boldness from?
Well there is no need to pretend now. I know that the almighty Internet bullies will still criticize me anyway. However, it doesn’t matter because I can’t be living my life for them. Whether many will like to agree with this or not, I just want them to know that these things happen. People need to hear it. I am actually very frank and that has cost me a lot because people can’t stand my frankness and bluntness; instead they take it for arrogance. If I am upset with you, I’ll tell you instead of avoiding you and you start asking questions. It is good to know what you have done to me so that you can apologize, I will wait for your apology and if I don’t get it, I’ll move on.
Is it difficult to strike a friendship with you?
It is not difficult, only when I see the things that don’t suit me, and if you cannot contribute to anything in my life. When you find out that you keep advising people and they don’t advise you, you keep watching out for people and they don’t watch out for you and they don’t care what happen to you, back out. Over the years, I have learnt to keep my mouth shut where I am not being questioned. I might look very reserved, but the truth is if you have gone through what I have gone through in life, you will not want to have anything to do with a friend.
What are these things you have gone through in life?
I have really gone through many things in my life, it has not been an easy journey, but I thank God I was not broken. Sometimes people make you lose confidence in your self and you just want to give up. So I am really happy for my strength and God. People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you. I am okay now; I am now overlooking things that are not important. My mother for example has not had a close friend for the last 20 years, and she tells me it is the best thing for me, but then I didn’t listen, but now I know better.
So what happens after these things?
Well, I forgive but I can’t forget their faces. So there are still people that I see. People that have framed me up severally for things that I have not done, and I didn’t get to hear, and I just noticed that certain people started behaving funny to me, and they didn’t ask me. Eventually after having in mind that Halima is this and that, they will later discover I’m not that kind of person.
There was a girl that was duping people; I didn’t even know the girl, she was on my BBM at a point, only for me to start hearing this person is your friend, she is always using your picture as her Display Picture and I am like, this girl is a fan, I have never met her before. People would just commit crime and drop their names as your friend. But now things are falling in place, which is vindicating me. Now people are now calling me, Halima I am so sorry for all those times. But when they were attacking me, it was so painful. It has made me realize that people are not what they seem. Maybe because I have a good and clean mind that is why these things are happening to me.
You talked like you have been hurt a lot because of friendship, what is the biggest price you have had to pay for friendship?
I don’t even know right now I just want to be sincere and honest. People will be surprise that Halima is opening up a lot now that is because I am beginning to get a lot comfortable with my self. The truth is that I am not going to take any insult from anyone, so it is better for me not to start something that I won’t finish. My best friend, my family and the one that I love are the only people close to me now. Friendship these days depends on what people can get from you, I have met people that have told me, please introduce me to this person, and that is just because of what they want to gain from that person and I am like are you here to meet these people or for me? People these days don’t have genuine love for one another, they just want opportunity to mess things up for you or get something they want. So I have been used severally, either by a friend or a contact. I have had enough of that.
Has this new approach to life that you just adopted influence your interactions with guys too?
Guys are amazing, they don’t have time for silly gossips, and women do that. The only men that do that are petty men; I don’t expect men to do that. I have a lot of male friends in the past that people will say, I am dating them and I will be like how many men am I even dating? Can’t I just have them as friends? Men are very encouraging, and some I didn’t give any chance because I just felt they just wanted sex, but the ones I have had as friends have been wonderful.
How lucky have you been with your relationships?
I have had very few relationships; I had a boyfriend that died in 2003, and after that I think I have been in two solid relationships, people might say that it is a lie, but if anybody knows of any other one, he or she should come out and say it. I have had only two relationships, and I realize that these days people are getting headaches over when I will marry and all that, are they going to live with me, when I get married? Are they going to put food on my table when I get married? Will they come and live with us, so I won’t get married because of what people are saying. Some of them don’t even have a relationship. They just hate us because we are actresses, is it our fault? So you don’t bring your frustrations into my own name. Most of the rumours on the Internet are all lies. Some don’t even read the interviews before they comment, when they just see someone’s name, they just scroll down to the comment, and they don’t even know what you are saying on the Internet.
Do these things get to you?
No, there are things that I do that I would appreciate a commendation, but people don’t do that. You find out that the good things you do, people don’t read about it, what they want to read about is, an actress dating this and that, an actress smoking. When you say this person is doing charity, they don’t get to highlight that. They highlight the rumours they hear, and not what they see or know. If they don’t see pictures, they complain; when they see, they say you are advertising what you are doing. So I have given up on trying to convince people, I’ll keep on doing what I want to do and forget about what people think. I see a lot of people fighting over my age, and it is silly, because at this time people don’t lie about age. How old was I, when I came in, how old am I now? People say Halima should keep quiet; she is older than she is claiming.
I am sure you have read recently that an oil baron dumped you?
Yes, I have read about it, which is what people love reading about. Somebody sent a link and that day I just wanted to laugh, I read a comment where somebody said stuffs, the person is a sad person I think. The person keeps commenting with a name Lalaland. The person is a hater, always commenting badly about me, the person is so hateful, I don’t even understand why that person is still allowed to comment.
You think there should be a regulation on online journalism?
There should be. Why must a person have so much hate, I don’t know. You see one person commenting severally with different names. On this particular, day, the person said that I was a dwarf. It was so funny, because I don’t even know that person. If you don’t like me, why click on my article, why say things you don’t know about me?
“People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you,” she adds.
Asked to comment on her once robust relationship with Nollywood pal, Tonto Dikeh, Miss Abubakar waxes philosophical. “Ok, after a while some people just grow apart in life,” she begins.
“That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser now. At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person.”
Halima Abububakar, in this touching interview opens up on her love life, business, upbringing and many other issues.
So what are the current projects taking your time?
I have been shooting movies in Owerri and Awka but I have not been to any location in Asaba this year. I have been to Enugu three times and now I am shooting in Lagos. I am doing a documentary about bullying. You can call it my pet project. It won’t be more than 40 minutes because we don’t intend to waste anyone’s time.
Of all charitable causes, why bullying?
Because I have been bullied for most part of my childhood and adolescent years. I want to focus on this because a lot of people are scared to speak-up maybe because of threats. These things are serious, parents need to talk to their kids to find out about this especially kids in boarding schools. It is not as rosy as it seems. I am inspired by things that has happened to me in my life to put them in writing and pictures. It is just a subject that I like. We don’t always have to do romance all the time. And whether we admit it or not, bullying is one of the reasons so many people do what they are not supposed to do. Some go into smoking weed just for self-worth among peers especially to prove a point to bullies.
Bullying must have been a traumatic experience for you to decide to make a movie out of it. Could you share some of the experience with us?
Oh yes! While I was in primary and secondary schools and all the way to my career in Nollywood, most of my friends have exploited my being quiet in a very disrespectful manner. Perhaps, because one is not a star or don’t have what they possess and because of this, they don’t think you belong to whatever class they have. I have been through this from fellow actors especially the female ones. When I look back, I can’t fathom what I have put up with in the name of friendships. But seriously shame on them for making another human being like them feel worthless.
I am surprised that you are bringing up something that happens among celebrities, which many don’t like to admit
I have no fear about saying this, will they come and beat me for this? I am sure some of them will think that I am mentioning names but I am not here to do that. I am sure when they see the movie I am doing now, everybody will know their characters. People will never come out and say this but when I come out to talk, they would say whatever. Bullying can come in different forms.
Can you tell us what kind of bullying exists among celebrities?
For instance, some people just don’t think that you belong to their clique or class. Once a friend invited me to be a member of celebrity group on Blackberry Messenger and I accepted. Not long after, my friend told me that a certain star just queried my invitation to the group because I am a friend with people they are not friends with. I was like are they sharing money for being a member of this group? I am so ashamed of the person. Interestingly, this is a person that calls me on the phone often. So obviously, the so called stars or whatever have their own clique and they oppress one another and I don’t want to belong to anyone.
But has this kind of rivalry ever degenerated to physical assault?
Yes once or twice, it got physical with people whom I call friends. You know, I just got tired of the shouting matches and the disrespect. I realized that such friendship is not adding anything positive to my life and they are not feeding me. In fact, one of those actresses told me that I have been in this industry for long enough and that I should try to find something else because obviously acting is not working for me. You can imagine an actress say these to my face and we are on the same set. Everybody’s destiny can never be the same. I cannot be a star the same time as you. I hear people say stuff like you have been there before her, yet, you are playing a supporting role. For goodness sake, I don’t care so long as I am working, besides I don’t need to appear in every movie to become a star. In other climes, you don’t have to feature in 100 movies to become a star, just a movie is enough to set one apart for life. Let them not forget that I left the Nollywood scene for five years yet I am back and still doing what I know how to do best. I think this is no mean feat. Anybody who is unhappy with that should go question God.
Lately, it was reported in the papers that you had a quarrel with actress Tonto Dikeh. What is the true picture?
Oh no, we never quarreled. I only read it in the papers just like everyone else did. We never had any verbal quarrel.
So what is your current relationship with her?
She is just my friend and colleague that is all.
But it is believed that both of you used to be very close friend
(Cuts in) Ok, after a while in life some people just grow apart. That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser . At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person. I don’t think that I have had any verbal quarrel with anybody. I am that kind of person who would not confront you but give you space.
What does friendship mean to you or who are your friends?
Hmm! The people I have known for over 10 years or people who I grew up with. Some of them are people who helped me as a young girl. I believe those are the people who can be real to me because they are only here because we have been friends for long. I prefer it that way, they are not in Nollywood because friends in Nollywood usually become jealous after a while.
Does it mean that you don’t have friends in Nollywood?
(Laughs) I do have friends but everybody knows that I don’t attach anything to that friendship thing because it will not change anything about my life. So, what I have are colleagues not friends.
Your frankness is amazing, where did you get this boldness from?
Well there is no need to pretend now. I know that the almighty Internet bullies will still criticize me anyway. However, it doesn’t matter because I can’t be living my life for them. Whether many will like to agree with this or not, I just want them to know that these things happen. People need to hear it. I am actually very frank and that has cost me a lot because people can’t stand my frankness and bluntness; instead they take it for arrogance. If I am upset with you, I’ll tell you instead of avoiding you and you start asking questions. It is good to know what you have done to me so that you can apologize, I will wait for your apology and if I don’t get it, I’ll move on.
Is it difficult to strike a friendship with you?
It is not difficult, only when I see the things that don’t suit me, and if you cannot contribute to anything in my life. When you find out that you keep advising people and they don’t advise you, you keep watching out for people and they don’t watch out for you and they don’t care what happen to you, back out. Over the years, I have learnt to keep my mouth shut where I am not being questioned. I might look very reserved, but the truth is if you have gone through what I have gone through in life, you will not want to have anything to do with a friend.
What are these things you have gone through in life?
I have really gone through many things in my life, it has not been an easy journey, but I thank God I was not broken. Sometimes people make you lose confidence in your self and you just want to give up. So I am really happy for my strength and God. People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you. I am okay now; I am now overlooking things that are not important. My mother for example has not had a close friend for the last 20 years, and she tells me it is the best thing for me, but then I didn’t listen, but now I know better.
So what happens after these things?
Well, I forgive but I can’t forget their faces. So there are still people that I see. People that have framed me up severally for things that I have not done, and I didn’t get to hear, and I just noticed that certain people started behaving funny to me, and they didn’t ask me. Eventually after having in mind that Halima is this and that, they will later discover I’m not that kind of person.
There was a girl that was duping people; I didn’t even know the girl, she was on my BBM at a point, only for me to start hearing this person is your friend, she is always using your picture as her Display Picture and I am like, this girl is a fan, I have never met her before. People would just commit crime and drop their names as your friend. But now things are falling in place, which is vindicating me. Now people are now calling me, Halima I am so sorry for all those times. But when they were attacking me, it was so painful. It has made me realize that people are not what they seem. Maybe because I have a good and clean mind that is why these things are happening to me.
You talked like you have been hurt a lot because of friendship, what is the biggest price you have had to pay for friendship?
I don’t even know right now I just want to be sincere and honest. People will be surprise that Halima is opening up a lot now that is because I am beginning to get a lot comfortable with my self. The truth is that I am not going to take any insult from anyone, so it is better for me not to start something that I won’t finish. My best friend, my family and the one that I love are the only people close to me now. Friendship these days depends on what people can get from you, I have met people that have told me, please introduce me to this person, and that is just because of what they want to gain from that person and I am like are you here to meet these people or for me? People these days don’t have genuine love for one another, they just want opportunity to mess things up for you or get something they want. So I have been used severally, either by a friend or a contact. I have had enough of that.
Has this new approach to life that you just adopted influence your interactions with guys too?
Guys are amazing, they don’t have time for silly gossips, and women do that. The only men that do that are petty men; I don’t expect men to do that. I have a lot of male friends in the past that people will say, I am dating them and I will be like how many men am I even dating? Can’t I just have them as friends? Men are very encouraging, and some I didn’t give any chance because I just felt they just wanted sex, but the ones I have had as friends have been wonderful.
How lucky have you been with your relationships?
I have had very few relationships; I had a boyfriend that died in 2003, and after that I think I have been in two solid relationships, people might say that it is a lie, but if anybody knows of any other one, he or she should come out and say it. I have had only two relationships, and I realize that these days people are getting headaches over when I will marry and all that, are they going to live with me, when I get married? Are they going to put food on my table when I get married? Will they come and live with us, so I won’t get married because of what people are saying. Some of them don’t even have a relationship. They just hate us because we are actresses, is it our fault? So you don’t bring your frustrations into my own name. Most of the rumours on the Internet are all lies. Some don’t even read the interviews before they comment, when they just see someone’s name, they just scroll down to the comment, and they don’t even know what you are saying on the Internet.
Do these things get to you?
No, there are things that I do that I would appreciate a commendation, but people don’t do that. You find out that the good things you do, people don’t read about it, what they want to read about is, an actress dating this and that, an actress smoking. When you say this person is doing charity, they don’t get to highlight that. They highlight the rumours they hear, and not what they see or know. If they don’t see pictures, they complain; when they see, they say you are advertising what you are doing. So I have given up on trying to convince people, I’ll keep on doing what I want to do and forget about what people think. I see a lot of people fighting over my age, and it is silly, because at this time people don’t lie about age. How old was I, when I came in, how old am I now? People say Halima should keep quiet; she is older than she is claiming.
I am sure you have read recently that an oil baron dumped you?
Yes, I have read about it, which is what people love reading about. Somebody sent a link and that day I just wanted to laugh, I read a comment where somebody said stuffs, the person is a sad person I think. The person keeps commenting with a name Lalaland. The person is a hater, always commenting badly about me, the person is so hateful, I don’t even understand why that person is still allowed to comment.
You think there should be a regulation on online journalism?
There should be. Why must a person have so much hate, I don’t know. You see one person commenting severally with different names. On this particular, day, the person said that I was a dwarf. It was so funny, because I don’t even know that person. If you don’t like me, why click on my article, why say things you don’t know about me?
Halima Abubakar speaks with Femi Salawu
Halima Abubakar is angry and she makes no pretence about it! The diminutive Nollywood actress is upset with a lot of things. Hear the Ebira, Kogi State-born thespian: “I have really gone through many things in my life. It has not been an easy journey, but I thank God I was not broken. Sometimes people make you lose confidence in yourself and you just want to give up. So I am really happy for my strength and God.
“People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you,” she adds.
Asked to comment on her once robust relationship with Nollywood pal, Tonto Dikeh, Miss Abubakar waxes philosophical. “Ok, after a while some people just grow apart in life,” she begins.
“That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser now. At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person.”
Halima Abububakar, in this touching interview opens up on her love life, business, upbringing and many other issues.
So what are the current projects taking your time?
I have been shooting movies in Owerri and Awka but I have not been to any location in Asaba this year. I have been to Enugu three times and now I am shooting in Lagos. I am doing a documentary about bullying. You can call it my pet project. It won’t be more than 40 minutes because we don’t intend to waste anyone’s time.
Of all charitable causes, why bullying?
Because I have been bullied for most part of my childhood and adolescent years. I want to focus on this because a lot of people are scared to speak-up maybe because of threats. These things are serious, parents need to talk to their kids to find out about this especially kids in boarding schools. It is not as rosy as it seems. I am inspired by things that has happened to me in my life to put them in writing and pictures. It is just a subject that I like. We don’t always have to do romance all the time. And whether we admit it or not, bullying is one of the reasons so many people do what they are not supposed to do. Some go into smoking weed just for self-worth among peers especially to prove a point to bullies.
Bullying must have been a traumatic experience for you to decide to make a movie out of it. Could you share some of the experience with us?
Oh yes! While I was in primary and secondary schools and all the way to my career in Nollywood, most of my friends have exploited my being quiet in a very disrespectful manner. Perhaps, because one is not a star or don’t have what they possess and because of this, they don’t think you belong to whatever class they have. I have been through this from fellow actors especially the female ones. When I look back, I can’t fathom what I have put up with in the name of friendships. But seriously shame on them for making another human being like them feel worthless.
I am surprised that you are bringing up something that happens among celebrities, which many don’t like to admit
I have no fear about saying this, will they come and beat me for this? I am sure some of them will think that I am mentioning names but I am not here to do that. I am sure when they see the movie I am doing now, everybody will know their characters. People will never come out and say this but when I come out to talk, they would say whatever. Bullying can come in different forms.
Can you tell us what kind of bullying exists among celebrities?
For instance, some people just don’t think that you belong to their clique or class. Once a friend invited me to be a member of celebrity group on Blackberry Messenger and I accepted. Not long after, my friend told me that a certain star just queried my invitation to the group because I am a friend with people they are not friends with. I was like are they sharing money for being a member of this group? I am so ashamed of the person. Interestingly, this is a person that calls me on the phone often. So obviously, the so called stars or whatever have their own clique and they oppress one another and I don’t want to belong to anyone.
But has this kind of rivalry ever degenerated to physical assault?
Yes once or twice, it got physical with people whom I call friends. You know, I just got tired of the shouting matches and the disrespect. I realized that such friendship is not adding anything positive to my life and they are not feeding me. In fact, one of those actresses told me that I have been in this industry for long enough and that I should try to find something else because obviously acting is not working for me. You can imagine an actress say these to my face and we are on the same set. Everybody’s destiny can never be the same. I cannot be a star the same time as you. I hear people say stuff like you have been there before her, yet, you are playing a supporting role. For goodness sake, I don’t care so long as I am working, besides I don’t need to appear in every movie to become a star. In other climes, you don’t have to feature in 100 movies to become a star, just a movie is enough to set one apart for life. Let them not forget that I left the Nollywood scene for five years yet I am back and still doing what I know how to do best. I think this is no mean feat. Anybody who is unhappy with that should go question God.
Lately, it was reported in the papers that you had a quarrel with actress Tonto Dikeh. What is the true picture?
Oh no, we never quarreled. I only read it in the papers just like everyone else did. We never had any verbal quarrel.
So what is your current relationship with her?
She is just my friend and colleague that is all.
But it is believed that both of you used to be very close friend
(Cuts in) Ok, after a while in life some people just grow apart. That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser . At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person. I don’t think that I have had any verbal quarrel with anybody. I am that kind of person who would not confront you but give you space.
What does friendship mean to you or who are your friends?
Hmm! The people I have known for over 10 years or people who I grew up with. Some of them are people who helped me as a young girl. I believe those are the people who can be real to me because they are only here because we have been friends for long. I prefer it that way, they are not in Nollywood because friends in Nollywood usually become jealous after a while.
Does it mean that you don’t have friends in Nollywood?
(Laughs) I do have friends but everybody knows that I don’t attach anything to that friendship thing because it will not change anything about my life. So, what I have are colleagues not friends.
Your frankness is amazing, where did you get this boldness from?
Well there is no need to pretend now. I know that the almighty Internet bullies will still criticize me anyway. However, it doesn’t matter because I can’t be living my life for them. Whether many will like to agree with this or not, I just want them to know that these things happen. People need to hear it. I am actually very frank and that has cost me a lot because people can’t stand my frankness and bluntness; instead they take it for arrogance. If I am upset with you, I’ll tell you instead of avoiding you and you start asking questions. It is good to know what you have done to me so that you can apologize, I will wait for your apology and if I don’t get it, I’ll move on.
Is it difficult to strike a friendship with you?
It is not difficult, only when I see the things that don’t suit me, and if you cannot contribute to anything in my life. When you find out that you keep advising people and they don’t advise you, you keep watching out for people and they don’t watch out for you and they don’t care what happen to you, back out. Over the years, I have learnt to keep my mouth shut where I am not being questioned. I might look very reserved, but the truth is if you have gone through what I have gone through in life, you will not want to have anything to do with a friend.
What are these things you have gone through in life?
I have really gone through many things in my life, it has not been an easy journey, but I thank God I was not broken. Sometimes people make you lose confidence in your self and you just want to give up. So I am really happy for my strength and God. People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you. I am okay now; I am now overlooking things that are not important. My mother for example has not had a close friend for the last 20 years, and she tells me it is the best thing for me, but then I didn’t listen, but now I know better.
So what happens after these things?
Well, I forgive but I can’t forget their faces. So there are still people that I see. People that have framed me up severally for things that I have not done, and I didn’t get to hear, and I just noticed that certain people started behaving funny to me, and they didn’t ask me. Eventually after having in mind that Halima is this and that, they will later discover I’m not that kind of person.
There was a girl that was duping people; I didn’t even know the girl, she was on my BBM at a point, only for me to start hearing this person is your friend, she is always using your picture as her Display Picture and I am like, this girl is a fan, I have never met her before. People would just commit crime and drop their names as your friend. But now things are falling in place, which is vindicating me. Now people are now calling me, Halima I am so sorry for all those times. But when they were attacking me, it was so painful. It has made me realize that people are not what they seem. Maybe because I have a good and clean mind that is why these things are happening to me.
You talked like you have been hurt a lot because of friendship, what is the biggest price you have had to pay for friendship?
I don’t even know right now I just want to be sincere and honest. People will be surprise that Halima is opening up a lot now that is because I am beginning to get a lot comfortable with my self. The truth is that I am not going to take any insult from anyone, so it is better for me not to start something that I won’t finish. My best friend, my family and the one that I love are the only people close to me now. Friendship these days depends on what people can get from you, I have met people that have told me, please introduce me to this person, and that is just because of what they want to gain from that person and I am like are you here to meet these people or for me? People these days don’t have genuine love for one another, they just want opportunity to mess things up for you or get something they want. So I have been used severally, either by a friend or a contact. I have had enough of that.
Has this new approach to life that you just adopted influence your interactions with guys too?
Guys are amazing, they don’t have time for silly gossips, and women do that. The only men that do that are petty men; I don’t expect men to do that. I have a lot of male friends in the past that people will say, I am dating them and I will be like how many men am I even dating? Can’t I just have them as friends? Men are very encouraging, and some I didn’t give any chance because I just felt they just wanted sex, but the ones I have had as friends have been wonderful.
How lucky have you been with your relationships?
I have had very few relationships; I had a boyfriend that died in 2003, and after that I think I have been in two solid relationships, people might say that it is a lie, but if anybody knows of any other one, he or she should come out and say it. I have had only two relationships, and I realize that these days people are getting headaches over when I will marry and all that, are they going to live with me, when I get married? Are they going to put food on my table when I get married? Will they come and live with us, so I won’t get married because of what people are saying. Some of them don’t even have a relationship. They just hate us because we are actresses, is it our fault? So you don’t bring your frustrations into my own name. Most of the rumours on the Internet are all lies. Some don’t even read the interviews before they comment, when they just see someone’s name, they just scroll down to the comment, and they don’t even know what you are saying on the Internet.
Do these things get to you?
No, there are things that I do that I would appreciate a commendation, but people don’t do that. You find out that the good things you do, people don’t read about it, what they want to read about is, an actress dating this and that, an actress smoking. When you say this person is doing charity, they don’t get to highlight that. They highlight the rumours they hear, and not what they see or know. If they don’t see pictures, they complain; when they see, they say you are advertising what you are doing. So I have given up on trying to convince people, I’ll keep on doing what I want to do and forget about what people think. I see a lot of people fighting over my age, and it is silly, because at this time people don’t lie about age. How old was I, when I came in, how old am I now? People say Halima should keep quiet; she is older than she is claiming.
I am sure you have read recently that an oil baron dumped you?
Yes, I have read about it, which is what people love reading about. Somebody sent a link and that day I just wanted to laugh, I read a comment where somebody said stuffs, the person is a sad person I think. The person keeps commenting with a name Lalaland. The person is a hater, always commenting badly about me, the person is so hateful, I don’t even understand why that person is still allowed to comment.
You think there should be a regulation on online journalism?
There should be. Why must a person have so much hate, I don’t know. You see one person commenting severally with different names. On this particular, day, the person said that I was a dwarf. It was so funny, because I don’t even know that person. If you don’t like me, why click on my article, why say things you don’t know about me?
“People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you,” she adds.
Asked to comment on her once robust relationship with Nollywood pal, Tonto Dikeh, Miss Abubakar waxes philosophical. “Ok, after a while some people just grow apart in life,” she begins.
“That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser now. At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person.”
Halima Abububakar, in this touching interview opens up on her love life, business, upbringing and many other issues.
So what are the current projects taking your time?
I have been shooting movies in Owerri and Awka but I have not been to any location in Asaba this year. I have been to Enugu three times and now I am shooting in Lagos. I am doing a documentary about bullying. You can call it my pet project. It won’t be more than 40 minutes because we don’t intend to waste anyone’s time.
Of all charitable causes, why bullying?
Because I have been bullied for most part of my childhood and adolescent years. I want to focus on this because a lot of people are scared to speak-up maybe because of threats. These things are serious, parents need to talk to their kids to find out about this especially kids in boarding schools. It is not as rosy as it seems. I am inspired by things that has happened to me in my life to put them in writing and pictures. It is just a subject that I like. We don’t always have to do romance all the time. And whether we admit it or not, bullying is one of the reasons so many people do what they are not supposed to do. Some go into smoking weed just for self-worth among peers especially to prove a point to bullies.
Bullying must have been a traumatic experience for you to decide to make a movie out of it. Could you share some of the experience with us?
Oh yes! While I was in primary and secondary schools and all the way to my career in Nollywood, most of my friends have exploited my being quiet in a very disrespectful manner. Perhaps, because one is not a star or don’t have what they possess and because of this, they don’t think you belong to whatever class they have. I have been through this from fellow actors especially the female ones. When I look back, I can’t fathom what I have put up with in the name of friendships. But seriously shame on them for making another human being like them feel worthless.
I am surprised that you are bringing up something that happens among celebrities, which many don’t like to admit
I have no fear about saying this, will they come and beat me for this? I am sure some of them will think that I am mentioning names but I am not here to do that. I am sure when they see the movie I am doing now, everybody will know their characters. People will never come out and say this but when I come out to talk, they would say whatever. Bullying can come in different forms.
Can you tell us what kind of bullying exists among celebrities?
For instance, some people just don’t think that you belong to their clique or class. Once a friend invited me to be a member of celebrity group on Blackberry Messenger and I accepted. Not long after, my friend told me that a certain star just queried my invitation to the group because I am a friend with people they are not friends with. I was like are they sharing money for being a member of this group? I am so ashamed of the person. Interestingly, this is a person that calls me on the phone often. So obviously, the so called stars or whatever have their own clique and they oppress one another and I don’t want to belong to anyone.
But has this kind of rivalry ever degenerated to physical assault?
Yes once or twice, it got physical with people whom I call friends. You know, I just got tired of the shouting matches and the disrespect. I realized that such friendship is not adding anything positive to my life and they are not feeding me. In fact, one of those actresses told me that I have been in this industry for long enough and that I should try to find something else because obviously acting is not working for me. You can imagine an actress say these to my face and we are on the same set. Everybody’s destiny can never be the same. I cannot be a star the same time as you. I hear people say stuff like you have been there before her, yet, you are playing a supporting role. For goodness sake, I don’t care so long as I am working, besides I don’t need to appear in every movie to become a star. In other climes, you don’t have to feature in 100 movies to become a star, just a movie is enough to set one apart for life. Let them not forget that I left the Nollywood scene for five years yet I am back and still doing what I know how to do best. I think this is no mean feat. Anybody who is unhappy with that should go question God.
Lately, it was reported in the papers that you had a quarrel with actress Tonto Dikeh. What is the true picture?
Oh no, we never quarreled. I only read it in the papers just like everyone else did. We never had any verbal quarrel.
So what is your current relationship with her?
She is just my friend and colleague that is all.
But it is believed that both of you used to be very close friend
(Cuts in) Ok, after a while in life some people just grow apart. That was the only problem we had, there was never any verbal exchange between us. Don’t forget that between us, there were too many friends. Now, I don’t even have time for friendship, which is the truth because I have grown wiser . At a point in life, people just need to go achieve something and come back. I didn’t want to feel awkward in any relationship that is why I decided to do my own thing. Tonto is an amazing person. I don’t think that I have had any verbal quarrel with anybody. I am that kind of person who would not confront you but give you space.
What does friendship mean to you or who are your friends?
Hmm! The people I have known for over 10 years or people who I grew up with. Some of them are people who helped me as a young girl. I believe those are the people who can be real to me because they are only here because we have been friends for long. I prefer it that way, they are not in Nollywood because friends in Nollywood usually become jealous after a while.
Does it mean that you don’t have friends in Nollywood?
(Laughs) I do have friends but everybody knows that I don’t attach anything to that friendship thing because it will not change anything about my life. So, what I have are colleagues not friends.
Your frankness is amazing, where did you get this boldness from?
Well there is no need to pretend now. I know that the almighty Internet bullies will still criticize me anyway. However, it doesn’t matter because I can’t be living my life for them. Whether many will like to agree with this or not, I just want them to know that these things happen. People need to hear it. I am actually very frank and that has cost me a lot because people can’t stand my frankness and bluntness; instead they take it for arrogance. If I am upset with you, I’ll tell you instead of avoiding you and you start asking questions. It is good to know what you have done to me so that you can apologize, I will wait for your apology and if I don’t get it, I’ll move on.
Is it difficult to strike a friendship with you?
It is not difficult, only when I see the things that don’t suit me, and if you cannot contribute to anything in my life. When you find out that you keep advising people and they don’t advise you, you keep watching out for people and they don’t watch out for you and they don’t care what happen to you, back out. Over the years, I have learnt to keep my mouth shut where I am not being questioned. I might look very reserved, but the truth is if you have gone through what I have gone through in life, you will not want to have anything to do with a friend.
What are these things you have gone through in life?
I have really gone through many things in my life, it has not been an easy journey, but I thank God I was not broken. Sometimes people make you lose confidence in your self and you just want to give up. So I am really happy for my strength and God. People are annoying and suddenly they are saying things about me, but it is okay, it means I’m doing something great, because if you are not doing anything great, they won’t talk about you. I am okay now; I am now overlooking things that are not important. My mother for example has not had a close friend for the last 20 years, and she tells me it is the best thing for me, but then I didn’t listen, but now I know better.
So what happens after these things?
Well, I forgive but I can’t forget their faces. So there are still people that I see. People that have framed me up severally for things that I have not done, and I didn’t get to hear, and I just noticed that certain people started behaving funny to me, and they didn’t ask me. Eventually after having in mind that Halima is this and that, they will later discover I’m not that kind of person.
There was a girl that was duping people; I didn’t even know the girl, she was on my BBM at a point, only for me to start hearing this person is your friend, she is always using your picture as her Display Picture and I am like, this girl is a fan, I have never met her before. People would just commit crime and drop their names as your friend. But now things are falling in place, which is vindicating me. Now people are now calling me, Halima I am so sorry for all those times. But when they were attacking me, it was so painful. It has made me realize that people are not what they seem. Maybe because I have a good and clean mind that is why these things are happening to me.
You talked like you have been hurt a lot because of friendship, what is the biggest price you have had to pay for friendship?
I don’t even know right now I just want to be sincere and honest. People will be surprise that Halima is opening up a lot now that is because I am beginning to get a lot comfortable with my self. The truth is that I am not going to take any insult from anyone, so it is better for me not to start something that I won’t finish. My best friend, my family and the one that I love are the only people close to me now. Friendship these days depends on what people can get from you, I have met people that have told me, please introduce me to this person, and that is just because of what they want to gain from that person and I am like are you here to meet these people or for me? People these days don’t have genuine love for one another, they just want opportunity to mess things up for you or get something they want. So I have been used severally, either by a friend or a contact. I have had enough of that.
Has this new approach to life that you just adopted influence your interactions with guys too?
Guys are amazing, they don’t have time for silly gossips, and women do that. The only men that do that are petty men; I don’t expect men to do that. I have a lot of male friends in the past that people will say, I am dating them and I will be like how many men am I even dating? Can’t I just have them as friends? Men are very encouraging, and some I didn’t give any chance because I just felt they just wanted sex, but the ones I have had as friends have been wonderful.
How lucky have you been with your relationships?
I have had very few relationships; I had a boyfriend that died in 2003, and after that I think I have been in two solid relationships, people might say that it is a lie, but if anybody knows of any other one, he or she should come out and say it. I have had only two relationships, and I realize that these days people are getting headaches over when I will marry and all that, are they going to live with me, when I get married? Are they going to put food on my table when I get married? Will they come and live with us, so I won’t get married because of what people are saying. Some of them don’t even have a relationship. They just hate us because we are actresses, is it our fault? So you don’t bring your frustrations into my own name. Most of the rumours on the Internet are all lies. Some don’t even read the interviews before they comment, when they just see someone’s name, they just scroll down to the comment, and they don’t even know what you are saying on the Internet.
Do these things get to you?
No, there are things that I do that I would appreciate a commendation, but people don’t do that. You find out that the good things you do, people don’t read about it, what they want to read about is, an actress dating this and that, an actress smoking. When you say this person is doing charity, they don’t get to highlight that. They highlight the rumours they hear, and not what they see or know. If they don’t see pictures, they complain; when they see, they say you are advertising what you are doing. So I have given up on trying to convince people, I’ll keep on doing what I want to do and forget about what people think. I see a lot of people fighting over my age, and it is silly, because at this time people don’t lie about age. How old was I, when I came in, how old am I now? People say Halima should keep quiet; she is older than she is claiming.
I am sure you have read recently that an oil baron dumped you?
Yes, I have read about it, which is what people love reading about. Somebody sent a link and that day I just wanted to laugh, I read a comment where somebody said stuffs, the person is a sad person I think. The person keeps commenting with a name Lalaland. The person is a hater, always commenting badly about me, the person is so hateful, I don’t even understand why that person is still allowed to comment.
You think there should be a regulation on online journalism?
There should be. Why must a person have so much hate, I don’t know. You see one person commenting severally with different names. On this particular, day, the person said that I was a dwarf. It was so funny, because I don’t even know that person. If you don’t like me, why click on my article, why say things you don’t know about me?
Adunola Fasuyi speaks with Rychardo Agbor
Rykardo Agbor has been in Nollywood for over 17 years and has contributed tremendously to its growth in both Yoruba and the English sectors. The model cum actor, who hails from Cross River State speaks with Adunola Fasuyi on many issues in the movie industry. Excerpts:
Some people are of the opinion that before you got married, you were really into women, is that true?
Oh, that is wrong. I think you will be the first person to say that. If they say I was always seen around women, they should be able to say which one it is.
Are you saying you are not into women?
Before I got married, I was not ‘that into women’. I was always seen among guys. Since I met my woman, she has been the only woman in my life till date. I am not trying to boast, but I have never had a scandal since I got into the movie industry. Nobody will ever tell you that about me. I can tell you unequivocally that I am scandal-free.
So, what you are saying is that women were not in your agenda then?
When I was still in school, I had a lot of time for that, but when I left school, I did not see it as a way of relaxation. I had many girlfriends when I was in school, but when I started acting, I was never into women because I met my wife then.
Is it that you lost the magic wand that worked wonders on women?
I did not. I met a girl that I eventually married and did not have time to start chasing other women because she is all I needed in a woman.
So, you are a very principled man, very true to your words?
I try to as much as I can to be very principled.
Tell us the secret to your scandal-free status.
I have the fear of God and like the bible says, it’s the beginning of wisdom. I try to be good. Everybody gets moved or tempted. I am not saying that I don’t get advances from women, but it is the fear of God that gives me the restraint. If I was a bad person, as a journalist, you would have heard from one of your colleagues, come on, we all know how fast bad news spread.
So, when women make advances, what do you say?
‘I am married’, it’s as simple as that.
What if they persist?
Are they going to rape me? It’s not possible. I know women can rape men if their drink gets laced and I am not someone that drinks, so it can never work with me.
Interesting, you don’t drink, you don’t womanise, what else do you avoid?
I don’t smoke and I know the next question will be if I am a born-again Christian. The answer to that is that I believe in God and I am not a saint. I am God-fearing.
You pierced your ear lobes, but no tattoo on your body?
Yes, I pierced my ear and I have a tiny earring on it, I love it. I don’t have tattoo because I might be asked to act a role like that of a saint, so, the tattoo will give me away, that’s why I don’t have it.
Do you wear your earring to the church?
Sure, why not? I’m a devoted Catholic and I go to church to worship my God and not man. So, why live a hypocritical life?
If you are asked a question like when you first had sex, would you answer it?
Of course, I will answer it. I was very tender when I first had sex. I was in primary school. I was about leaving primary school. I had a lot of girls that were interested and most of them were much older than I was. They were in secondary schools then. I think I did it first in primary five and it was with an older friend.
Is that not molestation?
No it was different, or should I say, I didn’t think it was at that time.
Did you know what you were doing?
I will say it was exciting, not that I knew completely what it was. You see, anything that is illicit is usually sweet for people to do. At that age, you feel like a hero when you do what people say is bad.
Then in primary school, I was playing football. I was very popular with football then and I was paid N10 per match. I shared money with my friends. Give them like one kobo each. I had a lot of cash to play with and I had elderly friends that wanted me in their company.
I was playing for my community then. I had a nickname then; ‘King Perierra’. They named me after a Brazilian footballer then. So, I always had people who wanted to be with me, particularly girls. They just loved me then probably because I was popular and a bit loaded.
So, your stardom did not start from acting?
You can say that.
How come you act mostly in Yoruba films than Igbo movies?
Right now, the industry is going through some kind of rebirth. They are trying to sort the marketing thing, so most movies are shot in Asaba and if it is not a script I like, for example, acting nude in the name of trying to shoot, I would not do it.
Most of the Yoruba movies that I have done recently; they have message content, so I am very particular about content. Aside the fact that I speak Yoruba language fluently, I enjoy making good movies, either in English or Yoruba languages.
What was your growing up like?
I had a very humble background. My family is a very interesting one. I am a very simple person and very down to earth. I was born in Lagos in a family of four. I have three sisters. I am the only son and I am the only one in my family that is into the arts.
Are you proud of your fame?
I don’t think wealth or fame should make one pompous or not to respect God, afterall every good thing comes from God. So, it’s not one’s making, so why would I look down on people?
How do you see the fame so far? Would you say stardom has changed your personality?
It has not changed my person in anyway because there is nothing you can get on your own. It is not by my power and we have not got anywhere. I have not started being celebrated in India, China and America. If I am known, it is just within some spheres.
I am still working to attain that kind of height. If international stars that are known all over the world like Denzel Washington, Angelina Joli do not kill themselves because of the level of stardom that they have attained, then who am I to brag? I think it is borne out of complex for anyone to feel too much of himself.
As the only son in your family, did it sound weird to your parents when you told them you wanted to be an actor?
There was a lot of truth in that. It’s just now that acting got that lucrative. Prior to this time, people saw artistes as charlatans, people that were not that focused, not until now. In this world of ours, if money is not coming in, they think you are a failure. People do not think about how to make that thing better so that people will profit from it.
When you tell people you are an actor, the next question is what else do you do? I think it’s quite out of place because acting is a very serious career. It can be difficult if you get into it. You will see it’s not as easy as it seems. I craved acting. Acting was not accidental or a mere co-incidence for me.
Tell us about the drama before your parents allowed you to act?
There was a whole lot of drama. It was very dramatic like you put it. My dad never wanted to hear anything about me being an actor. He saw it more as a waste of time.
He once told me that, “I sent you to school to study Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan, and now you are telling us you want to be an actor, its impossible.” There was so much objections to my acting then.
Maybe now they would have been proud to push me into acting because it is more dignified now. But in everything in life, no matter the profession, you have to choose, but you still need their blessing.
You just have to make them understand that it is not a crime. In every career, people sacrificed to get it to the level they are now. I was stubborn and I stood by what I wanted to do.
I kept on acting until I finally got their blessing. Not that I did not want their blessing, I kept on appealing to them until I got their support.
How long did it take before they saw reason in what you were doing?
I will say from when I started getting recognition in acting. Getting roles then was not as easy as it is now. Today, people call you personally to tell you they have a role for you but then, there were no mobile phones.
You will need someone to tell you that there is an audition somewhere. You get to know about the audition through posters and by the time you might come across that, it might be days after the auditions must have taken place.
In those days, it was landlines that people used and it was more of a luxury because very few people had it. So, it was difficult to rise that fast in acting because you miss some auditions and roles. But when I started getting the recognition, my parents started understanding.
As of today, you have put 17 years into acting presently, would you say it has been as expected?
I am most grateful to God. In anything one is doing, what is important is recognition and acceptance. Gradually, I think I am getting that.
Have you ever worked with your certificate before acting took over?
No. I never even intended to work with my certificate for one day.
Are there other heights you intend to attain in acting?
I would love to shoot internationally. I will love to work with Will Smith. Smith is very versatile, he is a comedian, a musician and an actor too. The amazing thing is that he is good at the three distinct careers. I like people like that.
Are you that versatile too?
Yes I am. I may not be a musician, but I know I can do comedy.
But we are yet to see a movie where you do comedy?
Some movies on my comedy will come up soon. I don’t know if you saw Osuka? It’s a movie I did with Ayo Adesanya and Badmus. It was very comical.
If you weren’t an actor, what else will you do?
If I wasn’t an actor, maybe I would have been a painter.
Painter? What happened to the talent?
Because of what I do now, I don’t have time to sit and draw. I am always very passionate about things I do and I put in all my concentration. I take my time whenever I want to draw, so I don’t have that
time. However at my leisure, I still make out time to draw and paint.
How do you relax?
I watch a lot of TV. Occasionally, I sit with friends on Sundays. If I am not on set, I play football. In the mornings, I go jogging to keep myself fit. I like staying fit and that is why I don’t have pot-belly.
Some people are of the opinion that before you got married, you were really into women, is that true?
Oh, that is wrong. I think you will be the first person to say that. If they say I was always seen around women, they should be able to say which one it is.
Are you saying you are not into women?
Before I got married, I was not ‘that into women’. I was always seen among guys. Since I met my woman, she has been the only woman in my life till date. I am not trying to boast, but I have never had a scandal since I got into the movie industry. Nobody will ever tell you that about me. I can tell you unequivocally that I am scandal-free.
So, what you are saying is that women were not in your agenda then?
When I was still in school, I had a lot of time for that, but when I left school, I did not see it as a way of relaxation. I had many girlfriends when I was in school, but when I started acting, I was never into women because I met my wife then.
Is it that you lost the magic wand that worked wonders on women?
I did not. I met a girl that I eventually married and did not have time to start chasing other women because she is all I needed in a woman.
So, you are a very principled man, very true to your words?
I try to as much as I can to be very principled.
Tell us the secret to your scandal-free status.
I have the fear of God and like the bible says, it’s the beginning of wisdom. I try to be good. Everybody gets moved or tempted. I am not saying that I don’t get advances from women, but it is the fear of God that gives me the restraint. If I was a bad person, as a journalist, you would have heard from one of your colleagues, come on, we all know how fast bad news spread.
So, when women make advances, what do you say?
‘I am married’, it’s as simple as that.
What if they persist?
Are they going to rape me? It’s not possible. I know women can rape men if their drink gets laced and I am not someone that drinks, so it can never work with me.
Interesting, you don’t drink, you don’t womanise, what else do you avoid?
I don’t smoke and I know the next question will be if I am a born-again Christian. The answer to that is that I believe in God and I am not a saint. I am God-fearing.
You pierced your ear lobes, but no tattoo on your body?
Yes, I pierced my ear and I have a tiny earring on it, I love it. I don’t have tattoo because I might be asked to act a role like that of a saint, so, the tattoo will give me away, that’s why I don’t have it.
Do you wear your earring to the church?
Sure, why not? I’m a devoted Catholic and I go to church to worship my God and not man. So, why live a hypocritical life?
If you are asked a question like when you first had sex, would you answer it?
Of course, I will answer it. I was very tender when I first had sex. I was in primary school. I was about leaving primary school. I had a lot of girls that were interested and most of them were much older than I was. They were in secondary schools then. I think I did it first in primary five and it was with an older friend.
Is that not molestation?
No it was different, or should I say, I didn’t think it was at that time.
Did you know what you were doing?
I will say it was exciting, not that I knew completely what it was. You see, anything that is illicit is usually sweet for people to do. At that age, you feel like a hero when you do what people say is bad.
Then in primary school, I was playing football. I was very popular with football then and I was paid N10 per match. I shared money with my friends. Give them like one kobo each. I had a lot of cash to play with and I had elderly friends that wanted me in their company.
I was playing for my community then. I had a nickname then; ‘King Perierra’. They named me after a Brazilian footballer then. So, I always had people who wanted to be with me, particularly girls. They just loved me then probably because I was popular and a bit loaded.
So, your stardom did not start from acting?
You can say that.
How come you act mostly in Yoruba films than Igbo movies?
Right now, the industry is going through some kind of rebirth. They are trying to sort the marketing thing, so most movies are shot in Asaba and if it is not a script I like, for example, acting nude in the name of trying to shoot, I would not do it.
Most of the Yoruba movies that I have done recently; they have message content, so I am very particular about content. Aside the fact that I speak Yoruba language fluently, I enjoy making good movies, either in English or Yoruba languages.
What was your growing up like?
I had a very humble background. My family is a very interesting one. I am a very simple person and very down to earth. I was born in Lagos in a family of four. I have three sisters. I am the only son and I am the only one in my family that is into the arts.
Are you proud of your fame?
I don’t think wealth or fame should make one pompous or not to respect God, afterall every good thing comes from God. So, it’s not one’s making, so why would I look down on people?
How do you see the fame so far? Would you say stardom has changed your personality?
It has not changed my person in anyway because there is nothing you can get on your own. It is not by my power and we have not got anywhere. I have not started being celebrated in India, China and America. If I am known, it is just within some spheres.
I am still working to attain that kind of height. If international stars that are known all over the world like Denzel Washington, Angelina Joli do not kill themselves because of the level of stardom that they have attained, then who am I to brag? I think it is borne out of complex for anyone to feel too much of himself.
As the only son in your family, did it sound weird to your parents when you told them you wanted to be an actor?
There was a lot of truth in that. It’s just now that acting got that lucrative. Prior to this time, people saw artistes as charlatans, people that were not that focused, not until now. In this world of ours, if money is not coming in, they think you are a failure. People do not think about how to make that thing better so that people will profit from it.
When you tell people you are an actor, the next question is what else do you do? I think it’s quite out of place because acting is a very serious career. It can be difficult if you get into it. You will see it’s not as easy as it seems. I craved acting. Acting was not accidental or a mere co-incidence for me.
Tell us about the drama before your parents allowed you to act?
There was a whole lot of drama. It was very dramatic like you put it. My dad never wanted to hear anything about me being an actor. He saw it more as a waste of time.
He once told me that, “I sent you to school to study Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan, and now you are telling us you want to be an actor, its impossible.” There was so much objections to my acting then.
Maybe now they would have been proud to push me into acting because it is more dignified now. But in everything in life, no matter the profession, you have to choose, but you still need their blessing.
You just have to make them understand that it is not a crime. In every career, people sacrificed to get it to the level they are now. I was stubborn and I stood by what I wanted to do.
I kept on acting until I finally got their blessing. Not that I did not want their blessing, I kept on appealing to them until I got their support.
How long did it take before they saw reason in what you were doing?
I will say from when I started getting recognition in acting. Getting roles then was not as easy as it is now. Today, people call you personally to tell you they have a role for you but then, there were no mobile phones.
You will need someone to tell you that there is an audition somewhere. You get to know about the audition through posters and by the time you might come across that, it might be days after the auditions must have taken place.
In those days, it was landlines that people used and it was more of a luxury because very few people had it. So, it was difficult to rise that fast in acting because you miss some auditions and roles. But when I started getting the recognition, my parents started understanding.
As of today, you have put 17 years into acting presently, would you say it has been as expected?
I am most grateful to God. In anything one is doing, what is important is recognition and acceptance. Gradually, I think I am getting that.
Have you ever worked with your certificate before acting took over?
No. I never even intended to work with my certificate for one day.
Are there other heights you intend to attain in acting?
I would love to shoot internationally. I will love to work with Will Smith. Smith is very versatile, he is a comedian, a musician and an actor too. The amazing thing is that he is good at the three distinct careers. I like people like that.
Are you that versatile too?
Yes I am. I may not be a musician, but I know I can do comedy.
But we are yet to see a movie where you do comedy?
Some movies on my comedy will come up soon. I don’t know if you saw Osuka? It’s a movie I did with Ayo Adesanya and Badmus. It was very comical.
If you weren’t an actor, what else will you do?
If I wasn’t an actor, maybe I would have been a painter.
Painter? What happened to the talent?
Because of what I do now, I don’t have time to sit and draw. I am always very passionate about things I do and I put in all my concentration. I take my time whenever I want to draw, so I don’t have that
time. However at my leisure, I still make out time to draw and paint.
How do you relax?
I watch a lot of TV. Occasionally, I sit with friends on Sundays. If I am not on set, I play football. In the mornings, I go jogging to keep myself fit. I like staying fit and that is why I don’t have pot-belly.
On The Path Of Winners By Bayo Ogunmupe Profile of the Double Winner
On The
Path Of Winners
By Bayo
Ogunmupe
Profile of
the Double Winner
WHAT is a
winner? Most of us identify a winner as one who has it all-good looks, talent,
wealth, power and popularity. However, this article will show us that it’s not
the externals that make people
winners, but the attitudes, values and qualities within, that determines
success. Here, we shall demonstrate how we can gain what it takes to excel in
every human endeavour.
Real winners
know that we get ahead, not just by looking out for Number One and working
against others, but working with them. Here we shall show our teeming
job-seekers and Olympic stars that winning can be more rewarding, meaningful and easier than we ever
dreamed. We just summed up the meaning of winning. But what about Double Win?
We will discuss double win, many people look at it with suspicion. How can both
sides win? Isn’t life a game of winners and losers? But I don't think it is a
winner takes all world. Though the win-lose approach has been around before
Jesus was born, there is yet another-way. It is called win-win, the Double Win.
And it works.
The old laws
of winning, is but a simple matter of the survival of the fittest. For every
winner there must be a loser. To win means you must have both money and influence.
The concepts of winning and serving are incompatible with modern-day realities.
Slogans like,” Winning isn’t everything; it is the only thing,” are juvenile
locker room mania. For some however, winning is just getting through the week
without getting killed. You earn your money, take what is left after tax and
try to find pleasure on the weekends. Winning is simply surviving in this
terrible world.
All of this is
a reflection of the dominant view point on winning and success in our culture.
This philosophy says power is god and competition and comparison are its
prophets.
The extreme
popularity of this view of winning can be labeled simply win-lose system of
success. To the victors belong the spoils, the headlines and the prestige. But
this win-lose approach breeds the concept of invidious comparisons, of titles
and postures.
Indeed, the
idea of being Numero uno is attractive. So is the idea of success. Given the
choice, anyone would rather succeed than fail. In defence of success stories,
they contain a great deal of sense, and the practical realism that help you
take greater responsibility for your own actions. Those of us who seek to tell
people how to succeed believe there is a lot to be said exhorting you to take
charge of your life and making personal decisions, instead of you just floating
with the tide like a victim or at best as a disinterested life spectator.
The win-lose
world is obsolete. While corporate managers are guided by an ethic of
competition, of winning the game of product marketing, heroes by contrast are
driven by an ethic of creation, creating gadgets to relieve man of the pains of
living. This creates more tolerance for risk-taking, this greater innovation,
greater persistence for tangible goals ahead. Therefore the idea of the Double
Win is a concept that is long overdue. Just what then is Double Win? Briefly,
it is if I help you win, I win, too. This means, by helping others get what
they want, you win also. For the true winners in life get what they want by
helping others get what they want. In Double Win, independence is replaced by
interdependence. We must face the fact that as individuals, we are a vital but
single organs of a larger body of human beings that inhabit this planet. There
are too many people, too few resources and too delicate a balance between
nature and technology, to produce winners in isolation today. As individuals in
today’s world, we cannot succeed or survive for long without others.
Thus, let us
be all we can be. But competition isn’t the problem. Competition, be it in the
marketplace, polling station or at the playground, sharpens skills, exposes
shoddy efforts, stands guard against gorging and greed and motivates us to be
the best we can be. What is missing in today’s win-lose society is the spirit
of cooperation and creativity and the feeling of the importance of helping
everyone develop his great human potential.
A brief look
at history shows the Olympic Games were founded on “the be all you can be”
principle, not “get all the Gold you can.” The first Olympiad was held in 776
B.C. The first personalities we know as winners were the athletes who won
victories in these games. Recognizing the unity of spirit, nature, body, and
mind, the Greeks created the Olympiad in celebration of the harmony of the
cosmos. They saw the Games as much more than mere athletic competition. Their
Olympic athletes were trained by coaches, scholars, physicians and clergy, not
only in sports but in religion, the arts, politics philosophy and music.
Athletics were just one form of Olympic competition. There were also, musical,
theatrical and artistic events to regale the public and for the participants –
means of expressing individual and team excellence. The ancient Olympics
flourished until Rome conquered Greece in 146 B.C. Roman indifference and
corruption led to the abolishment of the Games in 393 A.D.
When Baron
Pierre de Coubertin mooted reviving the Olympics in Athens in 1896, he was
inspired by the original principles that had fostered the Games in the first
place: the value of the whole man, spirit body and mind; the belief in
individual freedom and merit; consciousness of our collective responsibility to
each other; and an acceptance of our democratic right to participate in public
affairs.
Our champion
this week is Billings learned Hand (1872-1961) the American jurist whose tough
and profound mind, philosophical skepticism and faith in the United States were
employed throughout his record tenure as federal judge (52 years from April
1909, until his death in 1961). Though never a justice of the U.S. Supreme
Court, he is considered to have been a greater judge than all but a few of
those who have sat on the highest U.S. Court.
At Harvard,
Hand studied philosophy under William James, Josiah Royce and George Santayana.
He then studied law. Thereafter he practiced law at Albany and New York City.
In 1909 he was appointed a federal judge in New York. In 1924 he was elevated
to the United States Court of Appeals in New York, Connecticut and Vermont.
From 1939, he served as chief judge. He sat in many cases after his official
retirement in 1951.
Because
Supreme Court justices disqualified themselves, Hand’s court rendered the final
decision (1945) in a major antitrust suit against the Aluminum Company of
America, a.k.a the Alcoa case. After a trial lasting four years, Hand wrote for
the Court an opinion rejecting the “rule of reason” that the Supreme Court had
applied in antitrust cases since 1911. He ruled that evidence of greed or lust
for power was inessential; monopoly itself was unlawful, even though it might
result from otherwise unobjectionable business practices. In his view “Congress
did not condone good trusts and condemn bad ones; it forbade all.”
In 1950, Hand
sustained the conviction of 11 American Communist Party leaders on Smith Act
charges of conspiracy to teach and advocate the overthrow of the government.
His reasoning was adopted by Chief Justice Fred Vinson when the Supreme Court
also upheld the convictions. In a later case, (Yates v. U.S., 1957) the Supreme
Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren considerably restricted the application
of the Smith Act. A collection of Hand’s papers was edited as The Spirit of
Liberty (1952) by Irving Dillard. Hershel Shanks selected 43 opinions of Hand
for The Art and Craft of Judging (1968).
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