Words: Adedosu 'kenzy'Adekunle
Nollywood Actor,Jibola Dabor has definitely paid his dues in the movies industry.The Owo,Ondo born actor came down to Nigeria from the United Kingdom years back to pursue his career and he has excelled.
In a recent interview, he talks about his kissing roles in movie.
Excerpts from the interview:
What role are you most comfortable with?
I am comfortable with any role. If you watch my movies, I have played a poor man, a king, a married man, an Alhaji,a gigolo.
I am comfortable with any role any character.
What are the factors you put into consideration before accepting a script?
I think I take the message very serious because the world of an actor is like a gospel, people that are watching will believe what you tell them. I don’t want to pass the wrong message.
It is like reading a book. Especially children, they easily believe what they see.So,I consider the message, what I want to pass across.
I also consider the culture, the importance of my character. I might not like the character that much but if the message is okay by me,I can take it.
There was a movie I was to act as a warlord, I didn’t really like that character but because of the message, I accepted the movie.
That is the kind of actor that I am.
You like taking up kissing roles, why?
I will say yes and no.Yes, in the sense that I am a man who loves a lot.However,you have to know that I did not cast myself in these roles. The producers, directors or even the casting director cast people who they believe can play a particular role better.
By my status, I no longer go for audition, they invite me. After writing a story and going through it, the producers will look for someone who can play the role.So,I will be invited.
I don’t go there to say I want to act a role. That is not how it works.Somebody will cast the role, it doesn’t mean that is what I like to do, it is a role I was given to play.
It seems most producers call you for kissing roles?
Whatever their reason is, I don’t know (laughs).
But do you enjoy such roles?
I do,I do.
Really?
I enjoy other roles too. Nothing comes out of it. If I enjoy those roles, it is because of the interaction with the people on set. There are sometimes that your spirit does not go well with those you want to kiss.
In situations like that, when your spirit does not go with someone you want to kiss, would you drop the role?
As an actor, what I do in such situation is to become the character and stop being myself. It is me who doesn’t go with that person but the character is different from me, so I have to become the character.
In real life, some ladies that I have kissed on set are people who I wouldn’t have moved close to, not to talk of kissing them. Not because they are not beautiful but because they don’t interest me.
But as an actor, I have to become such character.
Do you get sexually excited when acting love scenes?
(Laughs) maybe it happens to some people but let me tell you a scenario why it is impossible to get sexually excited. In that room where you are trying to kiss, there are a lot of people there.
There is somebody holding a microphone above your head so that they can hear your voices, there are about four lights there with you, you have the cameraman there, the director, the continuity guy with the tracker board. They are all there watching.
So, you can’t get excited it is even very difficult to get sexually excited. There are so many people there. So it is not possible.
Most of your love scenes are done alongside Tonto Dikeh, why?
Those things you watch in movies is a kind of fraud Nigerian producers do to actors. All the movies I have done with Tonto Dikeh shouldn’t be more than one or two movies. When producers get on set, we shoot a lot of scenes and they tell us it part 1,2,3,4.Later you will start seeing another movie with the same scene we acted and they will give it different names.
So, why do producers pair the two of you in love scenes?
That is for our producers to answer. But all producers will look for the best person to play their role. A lot of people come for auditioning; they will pick the best person for the role.
It is not my doing.
You don’t feature in Yoruba movies like before, why?
I still feature in Yoruba movies; it is just that I am busy now with English movies. English movie producers notify us on time ahead of time, so it is more difficult for Yoruba movie producers to get me.
