Rising actress and filmmaker, Temidayo Babatunde opens up on her love for acting, Nigerian men and film-making in this chat with TheNewsGuru
Nollywood is saturated, what makes you different from any other actresses out there?
I have a strong passion for acting and I decided to follow my passion. Here I am, doing what I love to do most.
Are there limits to the kind of roles you play? How do you pull off your romantic roles?
No, I am a professional actress and don’t see any limit in interpreting a role. It is a world of make-believe. I play my romantic roles well just like any other role.
What is the biggest sacrifice you have ever made for your acting career?
I have sacrificed a whole lot of things, like working in a blue-chip organization with a juicy salary, to sacrificing funds that could have been invested in other business ventures which would have yielded big returns. All these were sacrificed for film making. You know in filmmaking, there is no guarantee of recovery of your capital not to talk of profit making .
What makes you unique as an actress?
I am an actress and movie producer. I am unique in the sense that my passion for acting and movie production is borne out of treatment of family issues and proffering solutions to societal dysfunctions.
As a beautiful lady, how do you handle attention from your male fans?
Male fans seeking attention from a beautiful woman is part of what makes the world tick and it is normal. I have been handling attention from my male fans very well.
What will you regard as your most challenging role?
A movie I featured in recently titled ‘Buabo’, produced by Kehinde Salami would be my most challenging movie yet. What made the role challenging was the closeness to the reality of the interpretation of the role. The ‘Oro’ festival depicted in the film was actually real. In the movie, a woman is meant to move close to the oro. However in reality, it is a taboo in Yoruba culture. The villagers had to perform some sacrifices for cleansing after we shot the scenes.
What changes will you love to see in Nollywood?
The changes I would love to see are much. Movie marketers should buy our movie with good offers and make payment on time Professional actors should help to promote the job of their colleagues whenever it comes out. Government should encourage actors by investing in Nollywood.The industry creates job for young Nigerians.
Actresses come expensive to maintain as both a wife and girlfriend. How expensive are you to maintain?
I am very expensive to maintain but this has nothing to do with my acting career. It is just that I love fashion; I am a gorgeous woman and like to look good always. All these cost money.
There is a cliché that “no beautiful woman can stay with one man”, how has your experience been with men and how would you describe Nigerian men in romantic relationships?
That cliche does not apply to all women as it is an individual belief. Contentment will make a woman stay with a man. The experience has been in both ways, sometimes sweet and sometimes sour. There is no perfect relationship. Majority of Nigeria men are not romantic, they are only concerned with sleeping with women and sometimes view women as a commodity, property to be purchased.That is not romantic.
So in view of your outward appearance, you must have been overburdened with the compliment that you are sexy. What makes a woman sexy and would you describe yourself as sexy or just beautiful?
A woman is sexy when she is educated, smart and rich. I am beautiful, sexy and even romantic.
