“My husband doesn’t let me cook” ~ Funke Akindele
Top actress, Funke Akindele in a recent interview with Punch spoke on
the downsides of her career, her latest projects, life as a married
woman and more.
On what she is up to presently:
“I have been filming a new television series called In Da Streetz. It is about the entertainment industry and how people try to survive. It also dwells on the hustle and bustle in the ghetto. It would be full of glitz, glamour and it’s a production that has deep content,’’ “My new project is music-oriented, so I am working with people like K-Switch, Mo-Easy, Lydia Forson, Linda Ejiofor, Tina Mba, Kunle Coker, and Freeze of Cool FM. It is just a group of people coming together to do something different on television through Scene One Productions, where I am the CEO. My mission is for people to enjoy wholesome entertainment.”
“My husband is a pioneer in the music industry, so he has been there. He gave me the storyline and the synopsis which I developed and edited,
On how she switched from law to entertainment:
“I recall that my father wanted me to study Law because he wanted me to become a lawyer. Even though he had his reservations about acting, I was undeterred,”
On her career :
“I am grateful to God for the opportunities that have come my way as an actress. When I started out, it wasn’t easy and there were lots of challenges. I have been acting and producing films before I came out with Jenifa. The movie was a commercial success and following it up with Jenifa’s Dairy, was a like an extension of the goodwill Jenifa, enjoyed.”
On criticisms she received before starting Jenifa series:
“If you have an idea, sleep, eat and drink it until you make a reality of it. Jenifa is a brand that I love so much. I didn’t even want to come up with the series but I realised that a lot of people like the brand. When I go out, I speak to a lot of young people. They like Funke quite alright but when I give them that variant of English, Jenifa is known for, the reaction is priceless,”
On production of Jenifa’s Dairy:
“I am tired of producing the series because it is time-consuming but my husband says that I cannot stop now because my fans love it, people are celebrating me, I have won awards and every day, they talk about me because they are not tired. People say it’s the best TV series, so I cannot stop.”
On the downsides of acting:
“The gospel group, Mary Mary, inspires. Whenever I listen to their songs, I am inspired. One of their songs goes thus: ‘I just can’t give up now. I’ve come too far from where I started from, nobody told me that road is going to be easy.’ The song teaches me that good things don’t come easy, you just have to push. There are many times when they write about me in the newspapers and magazines. I just say to myself that it’s not their fault, it’s because I am acting. At such times, I want to quit acting but then, I look into the mirror and say to myself, you have it in you, don’t give up and bury your talents. This is why I use my talent as a tool to pass messages across to people,’’
On life as a married woman:
“Before I met my husband, I used to work on Sundays, but he always says that I need to rest. Our chef leaves on Saturday mornings to see his family, so whenever I want to cook, my husband tells me not to do so and we eat out. We do that very often. Now, I enjoy my life and I rest.’’
On her likes and dislikes:
“People call me Margaret Thatcher, because I do not like indiscipline. You must not be rude, we are Nigerians and we have a culture and we are well-trained. I am Yoruba girl, so you have to be respectful. I always tell people that never believe that because you are made, you can bring people down. Even if you are up there, remain level-headed so you don’t fall,’’
“I have been filming a new television series called In Da Streetz. It is about the entertainment industry and how people try to survive. It also dwells on the hustle and bustle in the ghetto. It would be full of glitz, glamour and it’s a production that has deep content,’’ “My new project is music-oriented, so I am working with people like K-Switch, Mo-Easy, Lydia Forson, Linda Ejiofor, Tina Mba, Kunle Coker, and Freeze of Cool FM. It is just a group of people coming together to do something different on television through Scene One Productions, where I am the CEO. My mission is for people to enjoy wholesome entertainment.”
“My husband is a pioneer in the music industry, so he has been there. He gave me the storyline and the synopsis which I developed and edited,
On how she switched from law to entertainment:
“I recall that my father wanted me to study Law because he wanted me to become a lawyer. Even though he had his reservations about acting, I was undeterred,”
On her career :
“I am grateful to God for the opportunities that have come my way as an actress. When I started out, it wasn’t easy and there were lots of challenges. I have been acting and producing films before I came out with Jenifa. The movie was a commercial success and following it up with Jenifa’s Dairy, was a like an extension of the goodwill Jenifa, enjoyed.”
On criticisms she received before starting Jenifa series:
“If you have an idea, sleep, eat and drink it until you make a reality of it. Jenifa is a brand that I love so much. I didn’t even want to come up with the series but I realised that a lot of people like the brand. When I go out, I speak to a lot of young people. They like Funke quite alright but when I give them that variant of English, Jenifa is known for, the reaction is priceless,”
On production of Jenifa’s Dairy:
“I am tired of producing the series because it is time-consuming but my husband says that I cannot stop now because my fans love it, people are celebrating me, I have won awards and every day, they talk about me because they are not tired. People say it’s the best TV series, so I cannot stop.”
On the downsides of acting:
“The gospel group, Mary Mary, inspires. Whenever I listen to their songs, I am inspired. One of their songs goes thus: ‘I just can’t give up now. I’ve come too far from where I started from, nobody told me that road is going to be easy.’ The song teaches me that good things don’t come easy, you just have to push. There are many times when they write about me in the newspapers and magazines. I just say to myself that it’s not their fault, it’s because I am acting. At such times, I want to quit acting but then, I look into the mirror and say to myself, you have it in you, don’t give up and bury your talents. This is why I use my talent as a tool to pass messages across to people,’’
On life as a married woman:
“Before I met my husband, I used to work on Sundays, but he always says that I need to rest. Our chef leaves on Saturday mornings to see his family, so whenever I want to cook, my husband tells me not to do so and we eat out. We do that very often. Now, I enjoy my life and I rest.’’
On her likes and dislikes:
“People call me Margaret Thatcher, because I do not like indiscipline. You must not be rude, we are Nigerians and we have a culture and we are well-trained. I am Yoruba girl, so you have to be respectful. I always tell people that never believe that because you are made, you can bring people down. Even if you are up there, remain level-headed so you don’t fall,’’
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