Nollywood star, Moyo Lawal was recently honoured at the just concluded City People Movie Award in Abeokuta. Being an entertainer in the Movie Industry for a very long time, she has featured in numerous hit movies making her name stay relevant in the movie industry. Moyo Lawal in a recent chat with City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE reveals what the next line of action is, after taking a breather from the movie industry. Below are the excerpts of the interview.
Tell us how long you have been in the movie industry and what has kept you going?
It has been like 15 to 16 years; acting found me and other things came along the way. It sort of wired into it and I kept it pushing. I think it is Passion, God and daily occurrences, it just happened naturally just like drinking water and eating that is what it has become.
Did you have to put in a lot to keep it going?
Yes of course; in the beginning it was pretty easy because every audition I went for I sort of got picked, I got every role I auditioned for. So it encouraged me. At a point when I was finishing at the university, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue acting as a career, so I went off, a few years break. Then acting called me back. It has just been going on like that, like when you eat okra; you know nobody teaches you how to eat food or how to sauce the food or where to put the water. So it happened for me naturally in the beginning. So right now I am taking a back seat in acting, so as to discover myself. I grew up being an actor, I did not have any time to go on dates or do anything my mates were doing. At the time if I did anything it was for acting, like if I made any hairstyle it was a character hairstyle. If I bought any top it was for me going on set. My entire life was filming. I realized that if I check my life from 2019 backwards I could literally trace my life back through films so I decided to take a few steps back to find the real Moyo. If you follow my Instagram page on @moyolawalofficial I am discovering myself. This stage of my life is discovering Moyo Lawal. That is why people are wondering why I have not been having scandals because I have been scandal-free all my life. I am only trying to find myself and what makes me happy.
When young people who want to be like you, ask you how you excelled in the industry, what do you tell you?
First of all, you have to know yourself because a lot of people don’t necessarily want to act. They just want to be among and be seen. I for one did not want to be popular, Acting found me. If you know me you would know I am a very shy person, I prefer to stay in my shell and hide. Because of acting, I have brought myself out to be free but that is not how I am. I will rather stay indoors all my life. So I will tell them to find themselves if that’s what they want, post it and make a video. Social media has taken over so you can blow yourself by yourself, do unique things and let people know, so when they talk to you they know that you are ready. An actor prepares so you always have to be ready and available. Know what you are doing, so if you know what you are doing things will work out.
How did you cope with the initial challenges of those days because it wasn’t this easy back then?
Well, those days were fun days. You have your last naira, go for auditions, go out with your friends, you have fun and eat with your last kobo. It was a lot of stress too that even when we get picked we shoot a movie in 2- 3 days, we won’t sleep but it was fun because the passion kept us going. Luckily for me, my first TV thing was a hit ‘’Shallow Waters’’.
People sort of knew me already. I did not necessarily need to introduce myself as people already knew who Moyo Lawal was. All I needed to do was to keep re-inventing myself at every stage in time. It wasn’t bad, it was fun suffering like when you are left with 500 Naira and you buy food and drink and still eat with peace of mind and joy. It was fun, hard and disappointing at the same time. Sometimes I go for auditions and get told that I am short and all of that. But I still got picked at almost all auditions. I am one of the few who got picked at almost all auditions. It was not particularly rosy but it was fun.
How do you manage to adjust to changing trends?
One thing that works for me is God Almighty because He makes things happen. It is that entertainment spirit I think I was born with that spirit. I feel like at every stage in my life God rearranges me to fit into different parts. I don’t think I follow trends, but somehow I am there. It is just the Grace of God and my calling, they say it is ‘’abinibi’’ and not ‘’ability’’. I think I am the worst entertainer because I hardly go out or follow trends and I am just living my life and somehow it works. It is just luck, God and ‘’abinibi’’. I feel it is something I do naturally without breaking a sweat.
What is your message to your fans?
You guys are my ginger. You guys keep me going, give me life and everything. Thank you so much for staying with me regardless. Thank you for accepting me the way I am. For accepting me even though I am not all that top-notch, but somehow top notch. Thank you for being part of my journey, and I pray we continue to do this until we enter that place ‘’ to meet no more’’. Thank you so much guys. Thank you so much Uncle Seye.
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