Acting has opened difficult doors for me

Josephine Chidebe

For actress Omowunmi Dada, playing the lead role in Nigeria’s first animation movie, Sade, is not a tea party. Having featured in several movies since debuting in Nollywood in 2013, she soon found out that acting in animation movie is extremely different from acting in normal films. In this chat, Dada shares her experiences and the challenges often encountered by actors in the industry.

Can you tell us briefly about yourself?

I am Owowumi Dada. I am an actor and a voice artiste.

You play the lead role of Sade in the first animation film to be produced by Nigerians; can you tell us more about your character?

Sade is the very first feature animation movie created, produced and acted by Nigerians. It is a story of a little girl whose name is Sade and who has a strong relationship and bond with a dog that talks, and it’s a case of a stranger who eventually becomes a part of the family.

Was it challenging acting such a lead role?

People who know me know how crazy I am for animation movies. They know that I have always been looking for such opportunity. I love animation very much and when the opportunity came, I jumped at it. Animation movie is extremely different form normal acting.

In normal acting, you have character and costumes help you to make facial expression for the scene, helping the character enhancing the mood and the tone. But for animation, it is solely dependent on your voice. If you are sad it shows in your voice. If you are happy, anxious or moody, it also shows in your voice. So, at that particular point in time, I shut down my body and became my own voice. I had to talk like a child. Sade is an eight-year-old girl so I had to talk like her.

How long have you been acting?

I started acting in 2013.

What has acting done for you, has it opened or closed doors for you?

I think acting has opened doors for me, certain doors that it would have been difficult to open. But the good thing is that I am still the Omowumi Dada everybody knows. I am still my real self. I am still that girl, people who know me know I am still that girl, simple, loving and caring. I have not changed a bit.

Can you describe your kind of man?

Every lady wants a tall, handsome and rich kind of man, but my own kind of man is a man that is God fearing.

What are your major challenges as an actor?

My major challenge is, sometimes as an actor, you don’t get the kind of script that you want, and the director is not making it easy for you. Sometimes when you play a character so well, the producer wants to cast you as the character. The industry is better now, because people are now investing in Nollywood. But do we get as much as we want to be paid? No! Do we get paid? Yes. So, we can only hope for the best.

What advice will you give to up and coming actors?

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Talent is never enough but attitude is everything. Talent will take you somewhere but your attitude, character and discipline will get you to greater heights.