I Was Once Buried Alive, Says Ore-Ofe

What is your position on secular actors featuring in gospel movies and otherwise?

That is a conference argument on its own and reasons some fellows in gospel movie circuit do not like Oreofe Williams. Using secular actors, to them is like using sand to cook soup instead of salt.  I have a mandate to use them. And I stick to that mandate. Several people are not just happy about it. Now let’s go to the Bible. Rehab was a prostitute. She was the one who assisted Joshua. Hosea was asked by God to marry a prostitute. The Lord who could use Ballam’s donkey, what can He not use?  Jesus said if you don’t do this, I will raise stones. Haba. The saviour came to the world and was calling touts to follow him. Peter was never born again for three and a half years. He was always moving with a sword. He cut off Malchus’ s ear in Gethsemane. A quintessential garage boy! Look, no one can predict God. He can use anybody or anything. He has his plans and he is looking for people to carry on the assignment. I was told one big drama minister went to a film store here in Lagos and was abusing me. Well, he is an elder. I have no right to reply. If Jesus were to shoot a film today, you would be surprised to see his kind of cast. For Christians in secular films, it’s their profession, just like a Christian is into journalism or medicine. It’s only appropriate you use your talents to glorify God anywhere you choose to be.

As an actor, which role would you describe as the toughest in your career so far?

My roles in Awo Jesu and Ogun Awon Eniyan Mimo.  In Awo Jesu, I was still very green. I was taking a two hour bike to go and write my final master’s exam in University of Ibadan. It was tough and I still had a Ph.D grade. That was 2008. In the other film, I was buried alive. It was painful. In God Behind Bars by the RCCG, I played the role of a cripple. The director, Osas, who is based in South Africa, calls me his Nigerian mega star. There are many other roles that are so challenging.

What is your take on the endless leadership tussle in the Association of Nigeria Theatre Practitioners, ANTP?

Mediocrity is an inevitable venom that has eaten very deep into the fabric of that association.  Look, I am very close to Prince Dele Odule. Just as Yemi Shodimu is my father. These people are very intelligent men. If you know Odule for example, you would discover he places no value on money. He appreciates brains and he believes when you are sound intellectually, money is not a big deal. The man called me one day and asked me to draft his vision for ANTP together with him. He was going to establish an ANTP school and affiliate it with Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife. I was so excited because I felt people like us could then begin to show interest in there. Odule felt he could make a change but the rest is history. Perhaps ANTP should not have divided. Perhaps they should have waited for the expiration of this tenure. It’s not a lifetime administration. Things could still be restructured. You don’t claim America as your country because you never won an election in Nigeria. You don’t throw away the bucket because you have bad water inside. You don’t cut your head because you have headache. Hear this: Any group started as a result of a conflict does not last. I believe in ANTP; when tenure expires, one can effect a new purpose. I am not part of the association. I speak as an observer.

Are you a member of the association?

I do not belong to any association.  I work with everybody.

What is your assessment of the Nigerian movie industry?

Nowadays, we have people who have failed in other professions producing their own films. And where they have nothing to show, they blackmail us with nudity and semi-pornography. I am a university academic with Film Studies as area of specialization. Many of the films we shoot in Nigeria are European rehearsals. There is what we call Theatre Education. People must learn and improve. The Nigerian audience can be very intelligent. It’s a mature audience. However, things are improving. Watch our movies now and you will discover a new educated crop are already making waves. However, I challenge all Theatre Arts graduates in banking and oil and gas to quit and prove their certificates or else pseudo-professionals will set it on fire.

As an arts lecturer, do you think theatre has any future in Nigeria?

People no longer patronize the theatre like before and I also do not want to invest in what will infest my pocket. Everyone wants to appear in films and that’s why the industry is weak. The best of actors are the ones on stage but they are not very famous.