Bolanle Ninolowo is not just another Nollywood star chasing the next big role. With a career spanning over a decade and a fan-favourite alias, Maka, the actor has carved a name for himself, not just as a performer, but as a brand. In this engaging interview with ADENIYI ADEWOYIN, Ninolowo opens up about his calculated approach to his career in recent years, the importance of fatherhood over fame, his expanding footprint in Hollywood, and his unfiltered thoughts on tribal lines in Nollywood. Excerpts…
WE’VE not been seeing you in many movies as before. There was a time when you were very intense. Are you now intentional about the movies you star in?
Well, I’m intentional about my goals and my plans in life. Movie-making is a job. It’s a part of my life. There are so many other parts of my life as well that need attention. I feel like everything is seasonal. I can’t be in everything. I have other goals and aspirations as well. I have kids, I have a family who live abroad, and I have to share my time back and forth and take care of my kids as well. So there’s a lot that I’m applying myself to. I’m not the only actor.
At what point did you decide to focus more on other important things?
Oh, well, my kids are going to college now, my daughter is 19, my son is 17, and I feel like that’s the most important age that I need to be present, and showing them more about life and being there for them, and making life-long decisions into the next chapter of their life. So I had to make a big sacrifice of saying, look, what’s more important now to me, thank God I made hay while the sun shone. Like you rightfully said, there was a time I was in almost all movies, you know, at that time, that was what was important to me. My kids were much younger then. Now they’re much grown. And you know, they need my attention a lot more. My legacy is my children, not the films that I make.
You mentioned earlier that you just returned from the US yesterday. Were you there for a movie or to spend time with family?
Both! I’m doing some things in Hollywood as well. Now, you know, creating my mark over there, my presence there as well. I just finished the movie with Vivica Fox and Black Chyna. And I have some roles lined up as well. So I’m taking advantage while I’m dedicated to being there for my kids, as you know, I’m separated, you know, being there for my kids, well, it makes it harder, because you need that presence more, do you get? So while I’m there for them, I take that opportunity to say, Okay, let me extend my tentacles and see the things that I can do in America as well. Also, producing as well. There’s a major, major series that I have coming out soon, it’s called ‘Maka ti Japa.’ So that’s going to be one that I feel like the fans are going to love as well.
What’s this series about?
‘Maka ti Japa,’ is talking. It’s the life of an immigrant, a Naija ‘agbero’ guy that says.Look, I can go to America now. Looking at it from the area boy’s perspective, I remember when I did Picture Perfect back then, one mark that people got from that was the fact that an Arab boy could be responsible, an area boy could want to take care of his child and care for his child, rather than the “useless guy” that they think he is. While I was abroad, I just sat down and said, look, I like to speak for the streets. I’m a man of the people. I’m on the streets, and I’ve always wanted to do this as well, which is, carry that brand and see how I can talk about the life of an agbero outside of Nigeria. So that gave birth to the ‘Maka ti Japa’ series, which we’re working on now. It’s going to come on Makanaki TV as well. It’s pretty much like a docu-series, a little addition, where you see this guy in all his encounters and the challenges of travelling America. And I also feel like this will inspire so many more people here, too.
What was the experience like shooting your series abroad? Many Nigerian films shot overseas often struggle to capture the authentic American feel. We’ve seen scenes on quiet, empty streets and casts that don’t always come across as professional actors, especially in how they deliver their lines. How did you approach this challenge in your project?
I like that question. With ‘Maka ti Japa,’ one key thing is, it’s a one-man show. Maka is the actor, and I get to play Maka. So, everybody I encounter is not an actor. Maka is the actor, and I get to play Maka. I’m saying the reality of it is, if you saw a Funke Akindele, let’s say Zuby, Michael in ‘Maka Ti Japa,’ then it defeats the purpose. It’s not real anymore. We’re talking about the reality of this guy leaving Nigeria for America. So everybody he must encounter is not people you’ve ever seen before. So he’s the only actor who encounters different people.
You mentioned your recent projects in the U.S. with Black Chyna and Vivica Fox. There’s been an ongoing conversation about how Hollywood often casts Africans and expects them to speak in a stereotypical ‘African’ accent. Was that the case with your role, and what’s your take on that trend?
I think that was probably back in the days. Now it’s different. For me, when I got casted for the role. It wasn’t because I was African or anything. I can be American if I want to, like, full-blown Yankee boy right now. And I feel like that’s one of the gifts I have in being diverse, I can switch to whatever. But I didn’t have that issue at all. And no matter how much I speak American English, you can still catch one or two accents that you will know that this guy has an accent. It wasn’t an issue at all. Like I said, I feel like that was back in the days. Now it is different.
How did you get the role? Did you attend an audition?
Yes, I have a good agent in America that does a lot of work running around for me. And she called me and said, this is up. Would you like to audition for it? I did the audition and, God, did it.
How would you describe their kind of audition compared to the one we do here? Do you audition in Nigeria?
I can’t even remember the last time I auditioned in Nigeria. But, though, even abroad, when they write scripts, they know exactly the actor they’re looking for. They have the actor, and they have a substitute actor, just in case that person is not available. So if you’re a filmmaker today, and you don’t know who you can potentially use, then you have a problem, if you have to start auditioning. There are roles that you audition for which you know, which are like minor roles, or maybe you have supporting roles, and you feel like, you know, let’s audition a few people. But for your main cast, you should have an idea of the kind of people that you want. So, if these are not available, then you can always have a substitute, but that’s just being honest.
But will you feel offended if you’re being asked to audition in Nigeria?
No, why? It’s part of the job.
As Makanaki that you are
Laughs.
Let me take it a bit further. What if an up and coming filmmaker wants you to audition?
Hope the person isn’t mad? (Laughs) No, no, no. But there’s only one thing that drives Maka oh! It’s the paper. If you want to pay me twenty million for two days, you’re telling me to audition. I will do it immediately.
So you spoke about being separated the other time. I’d like to know what it feels like in terms of the challenges right now as a single man.
That’s not why we are here. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m separated. I have to be there for my kids. No issues, no issues.
So, what do you make of it that Nigerian actors are still being classified as Yoruba Nollywood and Igbo Nollywood?
It’s going to be like that forever. I met the industry like that, and that’s how I will leave it.
What can be done to change it?
Nothing can be done to change it.
Why can’t it be changed?
Don’t you have Yoruba people? Don’t you have Igbo people? Don’t you have Hausa people? Because of our different cultures, it is what it is. Let’s not lie to each other. Don’t go into what is not your business. You always have Yoruba as Yoruba industry, Igbo industry, or whatever. A person like me, I do Yoruba films, I do English films. I’m doing American films right now.
