Her
fame has been on the rise since she made her debut in Wemimo Olu Paul’s Ododo Eye in
1993.
Not
many people know that apart from acting, Rose Odika runs a company that
manufactures skin care products as well as a fashion outfit. Today, Rose is a
chief as she holds the title of ‘Yeye Oge of Lalupon.
Who is Rose Odika?
I am a very simple person, a down to
earth person. I am from a very humble background. I am the second child in a
family of seven and I passed through St. Richard’s Catholic Primary School,
Eleyele Ibadan. From there, I went to Ahmadiya Grammar School, which is now
Anwar Ul Islam Grammar School, Eleyele. I waited a little bit before continuing
my education. While trying to get my JAMB right, I was briefly at St. Andrew’s
College of Education, Music Department. I was there for six months. I didn’t
make the first JAMB exams I wrote because my father wanted me to read German Language
or Linguistics as a second course.
So, I decided to change my course to
Theater Arts and my father never liked it. So, we were having that problem.
While waiting for my JAMB result, I went briefly to Mr. Tunji Fatilewa, he had
a studio then in Old Bodija and he used to run some soaps on the then T.S.O S (Television
Service of Oyo State).
So we had series of soaps, but the
most popular of them was “Neighbour Next Door”. I was with him for one year.
From there I went to the University of Ibadan (U.I). There was this thing they
called ‘Occasional Studies’ then, it has been scrapped now. While you were
waiting for your result, you could do a one-year preliminary programme in the
university. I was in the Theatre Arts Department under the programme before I
got admitted into the university. I went to Alvan Ikoku College of Education, I
read Health Education but the certificate is affiliated to the University of
Nigeria Nsukka. So, I had my BSc/Ed because Health Education there belongs to
the Faculty of Social Sciences.
I used to act in one or two films
whenever I was on vacation. I was invited to Bode Sowande Odu Themes Meridian
in 1989 to partake in some stage plays. I was there for three years and we had
stage plays like ‘Vanity House,’ ‘Mammy Water’s Wedding’ and ‘Circus of Freedom
Square,’ ‘Ewe Nla’ and the likes. I also taught briefly in St. Isabel Nursery
and Primary School as an Assistant Class Teacher before I eventually had my
degree.
So, I already had all these
experiences even before I got to the university, which I think propelled me to
where I am today. In short, Rose Odika is a hardworking, straightforward,
trustworthy and God-fearing person.
Let’s talk about how you really got
into acting
When
I was in secondary school, the then Ahmadiya Grammar School, I used to have a
Vice Principal then, Mrs. Ero, she’s now in Canada. She was in-charge of the
French Group and most times, she took the group on different dramas and we
would go and do stage plays in schools during literary days, cultural days, and
we took them round secondary schools and she saw that talent in me. She invited
me to her office one day and said ‘look Rose, you are a bunch of talents and I
see that you can excel in the acting world.’ I was in Form 3 then. I began to
psyche myself on why I should be an actress. So, I concluded from Form 3 that I
would be an actress. The only challenge there was that my father never wanted
it, but I still passed through that challenge and from there, I would jump to
Odu Themes for rehearsals, from there to Tunji Fatilewa. So, I concluded then
that I could be a success as an actress. That was why I decided to fly it.
When did the big break come?
To God’s glory, the big break came
in 1993. I was invited to Prince Wemimo Olu Paul’s production. Then I was in
UI. He asked our President in Association of Theatre Arts Students (ATAS) to
bring five beautiful females for a particular film, so I was part of those
selected and when he saw me, he said ‘look you are playing the lead role’ and that was
it; I had never acted in any Yoruba film before then. That was my first Yoruba
film and to God’s glory, the film sold well and that brought me to the limelight,
the title of the film is Ododo Eye.
What was your relationship with the
people you met in the industry, when you joined them?
Number one; there was no
relationship between me and any actor in the Yoruba genre as at that time. As I
said, I was just going from one person’s group to another and those groups were
English. Bode Sowande never did any stage play then in Yoruba. They were all
English, Vanity House, Mammy Water’s Wedding. I was in UI, I went to
Bode Sowande, from there to Tunji Fatilewa for TV series. But I never had any
relationship with the Yoruba movie stars until I was invited through the president
of ATAS to act in that movie.
Of course when I came, there was the
challenge of ‘she does not belong to any association’ because as at then, all
these film stars had their different associations; NANTAP, ANTP and the likes.
I never belonged to any; I was a student, so I never thought of belonging to
any association. The only saving grace was Prince Wemimo Olu Paul, who told
them that ‘I am an independent producer; I don’t belong to any association
either. So I have the right to invite any person that I feel can act well in my
films and as long as it is my money, Rose Odika is playing the lead role”. So I
was able to overcome that challenge and thank God, the film brought me to the limelight.
That puts me in an enviable position, where every producer, big names and stars
want to associate with me. They were forced in a way to work with me because I
somehow became a celebrity and they started inviting me to take part in their
films. So, I decided to join the association.
Have you produced movies of your
own, and what are the titles?
Yes,
to God’s glory. Remember I came to the limelight in 1993; I became a producer
in 2008 after studying the industry and knowing that it’s a place I can work as
a producer. So, to God’s glory, I have produced 6 movies. I produced Alaparutu
(2008), Enu Eje (2009), Amuni Madajo (2010),
Iya ni Iya Mi (2011), Gbosee Wo (2012) and Ataare
(2015).
There seems to be discord in the
industry. There are so many bodies, ANTP, TAMPAN and so on. Where do you stand
in all these?
The
industry is very strong. The only association that has problems is just ANTP
and the problem came when we all forgot about our careers and became political
instead of facing our careers. We had problems when there was election and when
they could not be resolved, TAMPAN, Theater Arts and Motion Pictures Producers
Association of Nigeria came out of ANTP.
So now, in ANTP, they have their
way, and TAMPAN, we are on ground and I represent TAMPAN in Oyo State as
Governor.
Your birthday is close, how old is
Rose Odika and when you look back, what are the things that call for
celebration?
I won’t tell you my age, but I
am still very young. I am 40 plus but I am celebrating 40 because I want to
feel young. And looking back, why I want to celebrate, I have one thousand and
one reasons to celebrate. One, I am still alive, that calls for celebration.
Looking back at where I started from, I told you I lost my father at a tender
age. He died before I got admitted to the university and I have five younger ones
behind me, my mother was just a fulltime housewife. My father left no property
and we were able to scale through it. All my brothers, everybody is doing well
in one place or the other, that too calls for celebration because I know the
part I took in sustaining the family. So I want to say ‘Father, thank You for
being faithful, thank you for the success I have recorded over the years.’ I
just want to thank God for where I am today.
How do you feel when people address
you as Rose Ododo Eye?
I always feel happy. I see
something that has been designed by God. What is Rose in Yoruba? Ododo. So
the thing so blends with my name, Rose Ododo Eye. What is Eye? It
is something to be cherished. So, anytime they call me Ododo Eye, I say
yes, you should cherish me. I am somebody you should appreciate. So I love that
name. Anytime they call that name, it reminds me that I am being loved here. It
shows that God has prepared you that you will be somebody that would always be
cherished in life.
From Rose Ododo Eye to Yeye
Rose Odika, what has changed?
A lot has changed. Rose Ododo
Eye was a very innocent little girl of 19, who being in the limelight was a
big deal. Many had been there before I came and just a film got me there. I
didn’t appreciate it then. I left for school, I didn’t even look back. I never
knew I was a big name until I came home for holidays and everybody was shouting
my name and I was like just that film? Se bi won se ndi star niyen? (is
that how people become stars?). So it has been ordained.
Yeye Oge, that’s a matured Rose now,
telling you that Rose, you are not getting younger, but you are achieving
because it’s not easy to become a chief. I’m an Ibo woman, to become a chief in
Yorubaland, it means they have watched my contributions.
There is always this issue of sexual
harassment in Nollywood, sex for roles. Some say it’s not real. What’s your
take?
It
is real, but it is left for those who have come for people to harass them. This
is my 25th year in the industry, I have never been sexually harassed
because I put it in my head that I am going there to work and achieve, to merit
it from day one. It is unfortunate that many of them are coming with the notion
of the use of what you have to get what you want syndrome. I believe they
should use their heads.
It is just an idiom, use what you
have to get what you want means use your head. But many people have turned it
to using what they have behind their laps. Of course, if you fall into that
category, you will be sexually harassed, so it is real. There are some
directors who are ready to harass some people but when they come to you and you
stand your ground that look, I will wait until I merit a role. If you don’t
want a quick name, if you want to become a celebrity in one or two years, just
make sure that you wait and wait until that role comes. And when it comes, act
your role out. They will definitely look for you but some people are coming,
they don’t know why they are coming to join the actors, some are coming so that
when they are having parties, they can call their colleagues as celebrities to
join them, some are coming to date the men. So, those who are harassed fall
under those categories, it is not everybody.
Scandals are usually associated with
people in the movie industry, how do you manage to be scandal free?
That
is God o (smiles), I have integrity. I have been scandal free because my feet
will not take me to a place that will not glorify God. It is always when you
are in the wrong place that you get scandals. I don’t go after people’s
husbands; I am not going after big names in town. So where is the scandal
coming from? I am not going to where almost ten actresses are dating a man and
I will join my head there and we will start fighting.
In all my 25 years, I have never had
a problem with any female colleague dating the same man. It has never happened,
those are things that helped.
When was your most embarrassing
moment as an actress?
My
most embarrassing moment was the day I went to Oshodi in Lagos to get something
and I was tying a wrapper. It was a silk material. I didn’t know that the
wrapper had fallen off because I don’t know how to tie wrappers. People were
like” eeh Ododo Eye, eeh”, I didn’t know, I was smiling and waving to them. I
thought they were hailing me until one woman said ‘your wrapper” (smiles) I can
never forget that day.
When you look back, when would you
say was your saddest moment as an actress?
There is none in the industry, but
in my personal life, my father never wanted me to become an actress because he
never liked them. He felt those who go into acting are those you can call ‘never
do wells’ and he really fought me to make sure I never became one but because
he died early, I went on. I started acting in 1989 from my secondary school, I
lost my father in 1993, I made my name in 1993. So it was when I was supposed
to say Daddy, can you see now that I didn’t make a mistake? I now lost him.
When I look back and realize that my
father is no more there, it pains that he didn’t wait to see that oh, so
eventually; this thing can sustain this girl because I will tell you it is this
acting that has been sustaining me since I lost him. That’s my only regret that
my father is not here.
How romantic are you?
I am all about work, work and work.
My boyfriend knows because I am all about work, work and work. I lost my father
early, I wanted to achieve, my younger ones had to feed. If you are coming into
my life and you are not bringing anything, I beg, go. You can only stay if you
are coming to impart my life. So it’s about what are you bringing into my life,
not about I love you. So I am not romantic.
Who is the man in your life?
He
is a very shy guy, who doesn’t want to be mentioned at all. You won’t even
believe he is the one and I think that is why I am still happy. If I date
somebody that is active like me socially, I might not have all the peace. He
too is about work and that is why we are enjoying it. We might not see in two
or three months, but we talk every day.
What are the qualities that made you
stay glued to him?
He is the only man that understands
me. I am very aggressive, I am not patient with men, I get hurt easily, I am
very short tempered and I am always glued to my phone, texting. When a man
hurts me, the next thing I’ll do is to start lambasting the man with text
messages and most times, these men too will start abusing me and I would be
like ah ah, obinrin ko ni e now, se oo le ni suuru ni? (you are not a
woman now, can’t you exercise patience?). But this my man, abuse him from
morning till night, the only thing he will say is “Rose, when you are free next
month, let me send you to U.K for Anger Management. He got me with that and he
understands me and I am enjoying him. May God keep him for me.
What does he do?
He is a businessman.
What are you working on presently?
I
have a project and what propelled me to write that project is because general elections
are coming and I know that most Nigerians are not patient to dialogue. We like
conflict, we like fighting. So I am coming out with a movie titled Salujo:
The Dance Forest for people to know that we can always settle it on our
table through dialogue because war does not bring anything good. Why should we
shed more blood? Let’s sit down and dialogue. So, that movie is what I am
planning to bring out very soon.
Apart from acting, what else do you
do?
Rose
is a woman of many parts. I am a singer; I have an album to the glory of God
and I have Ara Jesu to my credit. I am in the studio cooking
something, Adura Mi Gba, that’s the title. I am also into skin
care; I am also a fashion designer.
What brought about the idea of going
into skin care?
One,
I am a very restless person. I saw that the film industry was no more
challenging to me, you know when you do the same thing all the time for over 20
years, I just told myself that ‘Rose, what else can you do so that you will be
challenged and you will still be active?” Secondly, when most of my friends see
me, they say ‘oh, you have a good skin, what are you using?”. I now felt that
since my skin can talk for me, that makes it easier. Then all the things I put
together to keep this good skin, can’t I make money out of it? That was what
propelled me into skin care. The skin is already there to talk for me and what
I am using is tested, why can’t I give it to other people to use and make them
look good too? And I have been doing that for eight years now and I have
distributors all over Nigeria, my products also go outside Nigeria to the U.K
and Canada.
My range of products includes body
soaps, five different kinds of cream. I have one exclusively for those, who
really want to be white, I have one for people that have damaged skin, I call
that Replenish, and
I have one for children, which is the moisturizer.
The fashion aspect of it; I am a
fashionable woman and theater also requires fashion. When I am on location most
of the time, I wear my clothes. At the end of the day, I found out that the
money I am spending on clothing is more than what I am collecting; I said okay,
if I have my tailors here, they can be sewing for me. When people see me and
say oh, ‘I love what you are wearing,’ I just tell them ‘I am the one that made
it.’ That was why I said let the tailors just be there.
What’s your message to your fans and
well-wishers?
We
are in a political era now, elections are here, please let’s make Oyo State
peaceful. Let’s make Nigeria peaceful in general. Let there be no violence. And
to my fellow actresses, they should always be patient in life. There is nothing
that won’t come, it will just take time. So, let’s be patient, be prayerful, we
will get there.
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