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To pin popular Yoruba actress, Eniola Badmus down right now for an interview is an uphill task. This is because she has been working back-to-back for the past few months. If she is not on location in Asaba, she will be in Ibadan, Ilorin, Enugu, Lagos or Abeokuta. She is in high demand right now. She is currently rubbing shoulders with all the big names in Nollywood. And she is getting paid handsomely. On the wall of her well-furnished flat in Lekki Phase 1, is a black board that has her itinerary for the month of June and July. It is hectic as she has tried to keep pace with all her invitations to locations.How does she cope? “It’s the grace of God”, she explains. “In the last 3 weeks I have been hopping from one location to another, across the country, especially Asaba where all the producers all want Eniola to feature in their ongoing projects so that her picture can be on the jacket of their movie.
This is ironic because 10 to 15 years back, Eniola was like the proverbial stone that was rejected. Because of her huge frame, remember she is plus size, many Yoruba producers didn’t like to use her. They felt she was too big for their roles. But because she is from a comfortable family,she never minded. Although money was not coming from acting, her parents funded her. That way, she stayed afloat. But she was not discouraged, rather she kept at it until she acted in two major movies that not only gave her a big break, but shot her to limelight. One of it was Funke Akindele’s blockbuster Jenifa. That is where she got the nickname Gbogbo Bigz Girls, after her role in the action-packed movie.
“Each time I look back, I thank my stars because it has not been easy”.(smiles) “The point is we just thank God. I shuttle between Lagos and anywhere I go to. I have a radio programme on Naija FM 102.7 by Panadol Extra. It is at 6pm. It is called Your Environment. It is a phone in programme, every Monday and Tuesday. They pay for my movement. The programme is knowing about your environment. It is a life performance. The programme is also educative. We would ask questions like how many traffic lights do we have between the 1st toll gate in Lekki and the 2nd toll gate? Its basically about knowing your environment. Will you say Eniola is where she has always wanted to be “no, I am not there yet. I am on the right track. I don’t have money yet. But I thank God. I am okay”.
When she started years back what was the picture of the career she had in mind? “It was vividly to be an entertainer”, she says matter of factly. “As an entertainer you have to be versatile. So, I like to MC, I like to do a talk show. I like to do English films. I like to do stage plays, anything that has to do with entertainment”. What explains that? “Because I am a theatre artist. I studied Theatre Arts. Now I want to venture into stage lightnings. Very soon now I will be going to the United States to do a course at New York Film Academy”.
Many people have noticed that Eniola has been featuring in a lot of English movies. Why is that so? How did that happen? “Many people didn’t know that before I started doing Yoruba movies like years back, English movies were the very first ones I featured in. At some point I was like let my people feel me too. So I went on to do Yoruba movies. But at some point they started inviting me back. They called me and they are paying good money. That is it. One thing about English movies is when you are good, you will keep getting roles. That is it”.
Will her going into English movies prevent her from doing Yoruba movies? “No way. God forbid. No. I still feature in Yoruba films. This year alone I have done over 7”. But you can’t compare that to the huge number of films I have done in the English movie industry. (Laughs). How did she get into acting? Why acting, why not something else? It is because I have always been an outspoken person from my childhood.
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