I'm Different From Other Actress -Sola Kosoko Abino

Her  father encouraged her to go into acting shortly after graduating from secondary school, though Sola was reluctant, maintaining that she would rather further her education, she later capitulated and now she is doing well in the movie industry. But she has her father to thank today for insisting that she should be part of the glamorous industry. Through this, the now married lady has become a celebrity and a sought-after actress.

In an interview the sultry actress granted Oladipupo Awojobi recently, Sola revealed that her father’s influence helped her phenomenal growth as an actress and this she combined this with her dexterity that has earned her recognition away from her father’s popularity and influence.

We will like you to share your experiences as a seasoned actress over the years with us

To start with my names are Adesola Kosoko Abino because I am married now. I actually started acting in the 90s with my daddy’s movie. Initially I didn’t want to act, but you know that my father is an actor and he encouraged me to go into acting, he persuaded me and I accepted, though reluctantly because I felt I was too young then as I just finished secondary school about a year before then and I was about 19 years old. I felt I needed to further my education and that acting could distract me, but he said no that it won’t disturb me from doing what I wanted to do. I accepted and played a role in the movie. Later, I started acting as other producers such as Ogogo started inviting me into films; he called me for the film; ‘Tolulope,’ Mama Rainbow called me for ‘Alamu Seniyan,’ then I did ‘Omo Olorire,’ and that was the film that shot me into the limelight.

So, how has it been since then

Well, we give glory to God Almighty, it has been good, nothing comes easy, it has not been easy, sometimes it pays me as a daughter of Prince Jide Kosoko, I get good treatment, but sometimes as his daughter, I had to pay some dues, which I did.

Some people believe that actresses pay dues like sleeping with producers since they are harassed sexually by all sorts of people

Definitely, you cannot rule sexual harassment out, but I would not compare myself to some other girls, who experience it regularly, it comes once in a while and I usually handle it well.

But now that you are married, most men out there would not want their wives to be in the movie industry, does your husband allow you to act all the time

Well, I have been with him for a long time even before we got married, which shows that he had been supportive even before we got married, and since we’ve been married, he has been supportive. Sometimes I would say I just came back from a production I want to rest instead of going for another production, but he would encourage me to go, he has never been a blockage.

How would you describe the economic side of the industry, people believe the Yoruba arm of the industry is not as lucrative as the Ibo arm

Of course, we are not getting what we expected, initially we thought it would increase, but amazingly it has not.

So, what is the highest fee you have been paid as an actress

No, I won’t disclose my fees.

Is this the only thing you do

Of course, I am into some other things, I am into marketing, I buy and sell, I have a shop, I am a model, an actress, I am a script writer and I produce movies.

Can you tell us about the movies you have produced

I have actually done some, I did some through my father, but the one I would really call mine is ‘Shindara.’ It was stress free because I had my father, who was the director and my elder brother, who was the script writer, with them around me it was less stressful and I had enough money to play around with, I wasn’t thinking of managing money, I wanted ‘Shindara’ to come out the best.

What of the returns from the film, how would you describe it

 Let’s not talk about that, it was nothing to write home about and that was why I had to stop producing. However, we have to continue, we cannot stop all because the market is bad. We still have to continue.

Don’t you think one of the reasons the market is bad is the proliferation of films, everybody is producing

I think we need government intervention, there has to be a control, it has to be controlled. We have a lot of people in the industry now, who just want to produce and before you know it, they would just do junks.

How does it feel to be a daughter of a major stakeholder in the movie industry as an actress, to what extent has his influence helped you

I fell good being his daughter, it has helped me in a lot of ways, no doubt about that, but it has some disadvantages, people feel that you are rich, that you are a daughter of Prince Jide Kosoko, you should be rich. I remember, when I was doing diploma at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, somebody was saying, ‘you are a daughter of Jide Kosoko and you don’t have a car, why would you not have a car.’ Infact, I was so embarrassed the way she said it because a lot of people were there, it was so painful. All the same, the advantages are more than the disadvantages.

What would you say you have learnt from your father in the industry

I have learnt a lot, he is my number one mentor, I write script and if I were not his daughter, I don’t think I would dream of doing that, I didn’t study theatre arts, my younger sister did, I read sociology, but I can pick up my pen and start writing. When we were growing, we always talked about productions, even as a child. So, I know a lot about production through him. When we were young, we used to go to locations with them, we know all the slangs, some of these a lay man does not know, but we grew up with that. It is not something they would start teaching me on set, there is no location I go that I would not add my own contribution to whatever they are doing. If it is the script that needs adjustment, I will definitely do so.

Can you share some of the challenges of being an actress with us

One of the challenges is that people feel that you are rich, that you have enough money. There was a day I was going home, I think I had about N5,000 in my purse and some area boys stopped my car and demanded for money, I gave them N2,000, yet they were not satisfied. I was thinking that what kind of nonsense is this ‘all I got in my purse was N5,000 and these people are not satisfied with what I gave them, do you expect me to give you everything.’ They feel you must always drop anytime you see them.

How many productions have you done so far

I don’t know unless you want me to start counting, but I cannot count.

So, who are your role models in the industry apart from your father

Joke Silva, I love her, so also Omotola Jolade.

What are your most prized items as a lady or even actress?

Being an actress or a lady we like to look our best when we are going out because a lot of people look up to us. But as I am now, I didn’t make-up, sometimes, I like to look natural since I am coming here. So, you want to wear the best shoes, dress, jewelry and look nice, you have to be complete, you have to appear good.

Apart from appearing in movies and soaps, have you taken part in stage plays

When I was young I used to be part of stage plays, but we don’t have a lot of that anymore, I did one or two with my dad.

We have had cases, where marriages of actors and actresses are not working and you begin to wonder why it is occurring daily, we pray yours would not be like that. Can you tell us about why this is so

If you look at it, it is not only actor’s or actresses’ marriages that are failing, there are worst cases that I have seen than the ones happening to us. If you say our marriages are failing, it is a societal thing.

But I think this has to do with the way artistes’ marriages are celebrated and all of a sudden, it ends abruptly

They are not the ones celebrating it, it is the press that are doing that. You would never celebrate the marriages of actors or actresses that are working; you always report the ones that are failing.

An average celebrity knows that he or she is known and once they have a crack, it would be reported…

Yes, but entertainment writers go to a very ridiculous length; sometimes some of the things you write are not true.

Another problem is that they snatch husbands or wives of fellow actresses or actors

That is just one out of hundred, we have very few cases.

How would you feel playing a role of husband and wife with your father

When you are on set, you have to be professional, you have to forget your relationship with whoever you are acting with, you have to just do it the right way. Sometimes I fidget on set, but I have overcome that.

Do you still play romance role now that you are married

Every actor/ actress must be versatile, but we have to put our culture into consideration atimes.

So, you can reject roles?

Yes, I can reject roles, for instance, I can’t play nude roles all because I want to act. Even there is a limit to the romance roles, but I just have to do it convincingly to show that I am an actress.

How do you manage your home with your schedule as an actress

Number one, you must have an understanding man as husband, my husband is very understanding, when it comes to being a professional, he knows I have to do my job and when I have the time, I make up for the lost time.

Would you say Nollywood has anything to celebrate having come this far

I believe we have something to celebrate, technically we have improved, in acting, we have improved, it calls for celebration, though we still have a long way to go.

So, what do you think should be changed in the industry

Piracy should be dealt with, it can never be eradicated, but it can be curbed.

We have had a lot of interventions by the government, apart from these, how do you think the government can help the movie industry

Government should build more cinema houses so that we can show them there before we put them in videos, they should empower us apart from the N3 Billion intervention, they can give us assistance, loans and others. We need policies to combat piracy, help distribution network; once we have a good marketing, there would be reduction in piracy. We appreciate the N3 Billion from the government, it is welcomed, if they are giving us loans in the industry, it should be soft loans using our jobs as security, not necessarily our house or anything.

Who are your friends in the industry

Doris Simeon, Funke Akindele, Laide Bakare, and Aisha, well, everybody is my friend, but the ones I mentioned are my closest.

What are your dreams for the next five or ten years

I see myself as a big time producer, I want to really go into entertainment fully having enough equipment in my own studio.

How did you meet your husband and how did the relationship start

Well, I met him many years back, I went visiting a friend, which was where we met, we were friends for about five or six years before we started dating. Then, people thought we were dating, but we both knew that nothing was happening, we didn’t start dating until I gained admission into the university. I even told him that if he wanted to date me, he had to help me with admission into the university, which was how we started.