My Husband Proposed To Me In Two Weeks’ – Actress Omoni Oboli

In a very short time, Omoni Oboli has become one of the most prominent names in Nollywood scoring major roles in chart-topping movies like ‘Figurine’ and ‘Anchor Baby‘. A wife, mother and a gifted writer, Oboli can be described as one of the acts that have brought a breath of fresh air to Nollywood. She chats with Nigerian Entertainment Today on marriage, children and career.

How would you describe your journey through Nollywood?

My journey has been similar to any other person’s journey that is aspiring to excel in whatever field of endeavour. 


(Omoni Oboli and her husband Nnamdi)

I started from the bottom and worked my way up, and I am still working my way up to personal heights that I know is possible, and by the grace of God will be accomplished in my lifetime. I started in 1996 and had a 10 year break to finish my university education, get married, and have all my children before I came back into the game. I have had to start from the beginning twice in this industry as the new girl in town. It’s one of those things many people have to go through and I am grateful to God that I am able to rise to the occasion to be where I am today. My journey has been good, but has been saddled with all the trimmings that have served to strengthen my resolve to keep pressing towards my ultimate goal and to help others reach there faster than I did.

Tell us about your first onscreen experience?
I was a ‘waka pass’ in my first experience. I played a secretary in one movie and Liz Benson‘s maid in another movie, ‘Shame‘. For me, any role was better than no role. I was too excited to be in the movies to worry about what role I played, and I was protected then by the producers and actors who saw my talent and were all too willing to give me the chance I needed to get ahead in the industry. I remember Opa Williams always making sure that I was okay and that I wasn’t being harassed by anyone. Those early days were just fun and goofing around for me. I was just passionate about being in the movies and when Fidelis Duker gave me the lead role in two of his movies, ‘Not my Will‘ and ‘Destined to Die‘, I was elated. This opened the door for Hilda Dokubo to give me the lead in her own production, ‘Another campus tale‘. I wonder where those movies are now? I would love to have a copy myself.

You studied French Language, what prompted your becoming an actress?

I think your question should be the other way round. Many people who knew me back then are still wondering why I chose French, because what I was known for was acting and directing and writing plays in the church in school plays and in the French club where I was the head of all those clubs back then in my secondary school. Acting started even before my primary school at the age of 3. I have always known acting and wanted to do it as long as I can remember so the prompting was really to study French which I felt didn’t just come naturally with me because you had to study it to know it well or live in a French country to properly communicate in it. So I studied French with my eye fully on acting.

Do you sometimes regret the years that you took a break from movies?

Not really. Considering what I got from the years I left, I wouldn’t trade my education, husband and my children for anything. Every other thing can wait but these blessings do not wait for you. It’s the grace of God, and I’m grateful to Him for giving me the wisdom to grab them when I had the chance. No regrets for me there, but just gratefulness!

Which of your characters has been the most challenging and why?

All my characters have been challenging in the light of the fact that I choose scripts that challenge me, most of the time. They all have their challenges and are incomparable to each other.

What do you look out for in a script while deciding to do a movie or not?
Firstly, it must be well written with good dialogue and plots. Then I look at the role I’m asked to play in the movie to see how significant it is in the story. I don’t want to play a role that seems like an afterthought and if taken out of the story wouldn’t change the entertaining value of the story. Then I like to know the mind and vision of the producer and see how far he or she wants to take the movie. If the producer has small dreams and wants to embark on a massive project without the necessary understanding of the nature of his project, I might not feature in it even if it’s a great script. If the producer wants to do a small project and addresses it as such, I may be more inclined to take the role than the one who might mess up the movie because of lack of vision. I like to add value to a production and I will give my 110% to any work I’m involved in as long as the producer and I are on the same page.

What was growing up like for you?

It was fun and carefree, because there was a lot of love in the home I grew up in with my mum and sister. I lived in the then Delta Steel Company (DSC) complex, which was a haven where I got a great education and lived a pleasant lifestyle even though we weren’t rich. The memories of growing up were mostly pleasant for me. DSC is not the same as it was then anymore.

Have you ever been judged by a fan based on a particular role you played?

I haven’t run into a fan who took my role in the movie too seriously to attack me yet, thank God, but I have had many people tell me that they watched me in the Emem Isong production, ‘Sweet Tomorrow‘, and thought I was a very wicked person until they met me in real life. After the movie, ‘Anchor Baby’, many people came out of the cinema halls and couldn’t talk to me because they were so upset, while others were too excited to see me because it gave them such relief. I won’t tell you why, so go and grab your copy and find out for yourself.

How did you meet your husband and what’s your love story?

I met him when I first started acting in Lagos in 1996, but just for about a few minutes. He later found me four years later in my final year and we started dating. He proposed to me two weeks into our relationship and the rest is history. There’s a great love story there somewhere. (Laughs) He must have rocked my world to the point of me saying yes, because I was just 21 years old! Many felt I was too young, but I thank God that their opinion didn’t sway my decision.

How are you always quick to flaunt your husband when many of your colleagues would try to remain private with their spouse that isn’t a celebrity?

I don’t see it as flaunting. My husband is also my best friend and I can’t imagine going to functions without my best friend, so we are always together. Everyone has what works for them, and my colleagues don’t have to be seen with their husbands to show that their marriages work or not. That’s their decision, but mine is what it is and we like it that way. It doesn’t make the husband who doesn’t like being seen publicly with his celebrity wife a bad husband, and it doesn’t follow that the best marriages are the ones that flaunt their husbands, but mine works for me.