Eniola Badmus, popularly
known as Gbogbo Bigz Girls, has earned her place in the highly
competitive Nigerian movie industry as a crossover actress. Best known
for her role as a street urchin, the actress who reveals that she
creates her own slangs and keeps them in a repertoire, in this interview
with MERCY MICHAEL, talks about varied issues among which is her
relationship with Bimbo Thomas and Funke Akindele.
YOU don’t favour your critics? The moment they try to sound negative you take them to the cleaners. Do you get furious easily?
No I don’t. It’s just that I don’t
tolerate intimidation from anyone. In other parts of the world people
commit suicide at times because of intimidation. When you allow yourself
to be intimidated then depression comes in and when depression comes
you want to harm yourself. So for that reason I don’t allow anybody to
intimidate me or intimidate anyone around me. I just don’t like it. I
hate negative vibes. If I have a friend and she tries to sound negative I
keep a distance.
I want happy people around me. But to
answer your question, in recent times, I have engaged my critics for
making my business theirs. I am not the biggest person in the world now
or am I? I don’t know why they keep commenting on my size. We all can’t
be slim and I like me just the way I am so they should please leave me
the hell alone. I am sexier than some slim people. I mean I’m surprised
that people can make it an issue.
But in all honesty, is a weight reduction programmes an option for you?
No, already I exercise to keep fit and I
am fit the way I am. I have said it before and I will say it again, I
am healthier than a lot of slim people. But that is not to say I don’t
exercise. I do. In fact, I love swimming.
Even, if your man says so?
No I can’t lose weight for any man. Any
man who doesn’t like me the way I am can as well keep a distance. Why
must I even lose weight for a man? What if I lose weight and I find
someone else and he says I want you to add weight for me then I will add
weight again for the person. It doesn’t make any sense. Everybody can’t
like you so if you don’t like me just stay away.
Any plans for a plus-size foundation?
No, but if I must do anything for the
plus-size, it has to be clothing the plus-size. I am a very trendy and
up to date babe. I have that urge to cloth the plus-size because it’s
what I’m good at. If you are a plus-size and you have a problem putting
your wardrobe together you can contact me and I will do a good job on
that. I know what fits and what’s trendy at the same time.
You must have been very courageous to have dared to wear a bikini recently?
I don’t like all this questions that
bothers on my size. Abi am the biggest person in the world? Were they
expecting me to wear a night wear like am wearing now to the pool? Na wa
for Nigerians sef. I wore what was appropriate and still they are
making funny comments. I didn’t even wear a bikini and yet they won’t
stop talking.
Tell us about life after Gbogbo Bigs girls?
I won’t lie to you it has been
wonderful. It has opened doors for me and most of the scripts that have
come have come because of the success of that movie. I guess I am good
at what I do. I try to interpret my role to the best of my ability,
whether it’s English movie or Yoruba movie.
There is a movie I just finished
playing; it’s an Emem Isong production. I put in my all; the director
really stretched me to the limits. In fact, if I don’t win an award for
that movie, I will be shocked. That movie stretched me truthfully. I
acted the wife of Okon.
How were you able to pull off some of those stunts in Omo Ghetto and the likes of them?
Actually, I take my time and go to those
areas I can learn one or two street attitudes from. But I actually
don’t borrow their slang; I create mine and it is unique to me. I
actually have a book where I write them out. The way song writers write
songs that is the same way I write down my slangs. Scripts after script,
it is the same thing.
Why is it that you never play gentle roles whether it’s English or a Yoruba movie?
I guess because producers feel they like
the way I play the roles. But I’m a consummate actress and I can
interpret any character that’s given to me.
Was acting your childhood dream?
Yes, that’s why I studied Theatre Arts. I
have always wanted to be an actress. Right from my secondary school
days, I’ve always been active in drama. So when I finished secondary
school, I just went for Theatre Arts. Although I later went to study
Economics, I did that because I had time on my hands then and besides, I
didn’t know it had anything to do with mathematics.
I hate mathematics so much. In our first
year there wasn’t anything like that but in our second year, we took
Statistics as a borrowed course. I hated it so much. I didn’t like
calculation but I managed to graduate somehow.
But it is mostly believed that acting alone cannot put food on the table?
For me, acting is all I do apart from the fact that I also compere events. But acting majorly is what puts food on my table.
You’ve not been linked with any male in your industry, is it that you can’t date an entertainer?
If I say I have not dated anybody in my
industry you won’t believe me anyway, so let’s just say I’ve been dating
but maybe you haven’t found out. And if I’ve been dating someone all
this while in this industry and you haven’t found out or anyone else
hasn’t found out, then I must be perfect. I must have been covering my
tracks well then. But in this industry most of my friends are the
opposite sex.
It has always been like that even before
I came into Nollywood. I feel comfortable hanging out with my male
friends. Not that I don’t like my ladies, I do but most times, I just
find myself in the midst of guys. I have more male friends than female
friends.
Why do some people believe that you are not friendly?
Anyone who thinks I’m not friendly is
just beefing. Yes, because if you know me well, you will know I’m an
extrovert and that simply means I get on along very well with people. I
am a very simple person too; infact, I hate it when I see someone just
sitting quite. I want to know what is wrong and cheer the person up. I
am a very simple and trust me; those people who think I’m not friendly
haven’t met me.
Who are you pals in the industry? Bimbo Thomas said you are her pal…
You see Bimbo Thomas and Funke Akindele;
those two are more than friends to me. They are like my sisters; we are
close as if you pick a strand of my hair it could be Bimbo Thomas’ and
if you pick another strand, it could be Funke Akindele’s. That is why I
say they are more than friends to me. They are my sisters from another
mother.
Can you recall any instance that brought tears to your eyes?
Hmmm, okay I remember a day a fan called
me and said she needed my assistance. I told her I would assist her but
that I needed to see her since it bothers on health. On getting to her,
I was completely broken down because what she told me over the phone
was milder than what I saw myself. I was close to tears as I looked at
her. At the end of day, I had to give more than she asked me in the
first instance. We need to be grateful for health. We need to thank God
for life.
Do you have an NGO?
I don’t think I really like the idea of
having an NGO. This NGO thing has been abused by some people and even
soliciting for funds is hard. Beside, I’m not a loud person, whatever I
do to assist people; I like it to remain with me. I don’t believe I have
to go all out to let the whole world know. It should be between me and
my God.
Do you believe in marriage?
Please I don’t want to answer any question on relationship. When I get to that bridge, I will cross it.
Can you have kids outside wedlock?
Don’t ask me. But I promise you, I’m not
going to disappoint you. My parents are married, so definitely I have
an idea of what marriage is all about.
Most of your colleagues have delved into film production. Are you also toeing that path?
Really, I’m working on something before
the end of the year, but I don’t want to talk about it for now. It is
definitely going to come before the end of this year.
What do you do in your spare time?
I read a lot. I don’t know if it’s a bad
habit but I read anything I can lay my hands on. I like to know a
little about everything. I just finished reading a book titled tribute
to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It was given to me by my mother Senator
Oluremi Tinubu. I call her my mother.
Every now and then we hear of
entertainers falling ill and having to solicit for funds for such people
can be challenging sometimes. What’s your take on this?
I think we should all learn to take a
health insurance. I have a health insurance worth 1m and I have other
health insurances that are not as expensive as that. Truth is, most of
us are ignorant about the opportunities around us.
Government has provided some health
schemes that we can buy into. They are not expenses but most of us are
ignorant of them. I have a health insurance that covers me in the whole
of 36 states in the federation. They are so many of them but you need to
read about it for you to know about it. Look at OJB for instance; see
how long it has taking to raise the money needed for this treatment. I
feel so sorry for him and I pray that the operation is a success by the
time it is done. There have been talks about a health insurance in the
entertainment industry but before then, we can on our own take on an
affordable health insurance scheme.
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