Jide Kosoko: “My House Was Like A Brothel, I Had Girlfriends After My Wife Died”

Popular actor, Prince Jide Kosoko, in this interview with OLUSHOLA RICKETTS, speaks on his passion for acting, the death of three wives and the tussle for power in the movie industry

What makes this year different from previous years for you?

The year has been a very good one for me. I have been going from one production to another. As you can see, I am on a movie set as we speak. Once this project is completed, I will travel out of the country. Also, I have not recorded any negative incident this year and I thank God for that.

How do you manage to remain active despite your age?

It is perhaps the grace of God, the will to achieve and the will to continue to prosper in my chosen career. I am in love with my profession and I am always determined to face new challenges. However, I thank God that I am full of experience in my profession and life in general. But the truth is that you must continue to learn and there are certain things where you are still a complete novice.

What profession do you think you would have been practising if you didn’t venture into acting?

I wouldn’t know. I don’t know what would have become of me if I hadn’t taken to acting. What is certain is that I would have been engaged in a profession where I would be able to demonstrate my creativity as well.

I started acting precisely in 1964; I think I was just 10. You know what that means especially at a time when parents didn’t allow their children to venture into acting. I started in primary school and since then, I have been acting professionally. My first performance was Makanjuola, a stage play.

Did you ever think you would attain this level of fame?

I might not have known it would get to this extent, but I wanted to be like my role model, Hubert Ogunde. Then, we both lived in the same vicinity. Whenever he passed, people hailed, adored and respected him. Seeing all that, I said to myself that I would love to be like him. That perhaps must have prepared me for what I am today.

How were you able to cross over to English-speaking movies?

I think an actor should be versatile. If I am given a role in the French language category for instance, all I need is time to master the language and I will deliver. If you talk about English, I think I am learned enough to go with the flow. But acting to me is the same all over the world regardless of the difference in languages.

I find acting in Yoruba and English movies fulfilling and I feel comfortable acting in both. We have people who are in this industry and are desperately trying to make money while others just go with the crowd. However, my passion for the industry goes beyond all of that. As one of its pioneer members, it is my desire to see the industry develop at all times. I will continue to contribute my quota until I die.

Do you have concerns about the movie industry?

When we started, the doors were opened to everyone regardless of your background. Though that made us have an industry today, we are now regretting that we didn’t set standards. Then, we were happy that people were joining us in what we were doing.

Yes, in all sincerity of purpose, the style (welcoming everyone) we started then was one of the reasons we have an industry today. But like any other growing industry, you will see unserious participants and people who could not define the reason they joined an industry.

All the categories of people I mentioned above will soon leave and I am happy that we are now going back to the cinema culture. The cinemas will prepare serious professionals who can produce something good technically and otherwise. Then, people who cannot meet up will have to leave.

In the Yoruba sector where I come from, everyone sees themselves as producers and directors and it cannot continue like that. If you are a producer, produce well. As an actor, act well. So, whatever aspect of the industry you find yourself, try to do it well.

Upgrading is important; people need to train continuously to ensure that their skills don’t become outdated. If at over 60, I still went to study Performing Arts at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, it goes a long way to tell you that learning is a continuous process.

When was the last time you produced a movie?

I produced a Yoruba movie titled Akanni, last year. It is a comedy movie and I had a good outing.

Was the movie pirated?

There is no movie that doesn’t get pirated in Nigeria, especially a successful movie. Piracy is our common enemy. But I strongly believe that the cinema culture, which we are all embracing now, will curb piracy.

Of course, we’ve asked the government to find a stiffer penalty for pirates because the one in the copyright law is not strong enough. I think it is one of those things encouraging people to pirate other people’s works. So, we have begged the government to give a tougher penalty. If possible, they should leave out the option of fine unless the fine is huge and they make sure that offenders pay.

Was there a time you wanted to quit the industry?

There was no time. Yes, there have been challenges. Even when we started and there was no money in it, we enjoyed it and felt happier doing it than now that there seems to be more money in showbiz. Then, we were doing it for the passion, but when money started coming in, the happiness was divided. My best periods in life are when I am on set working because I love my job so much.

What is responsible for the disunity in the industry?

I don’t think there is disunity. I agree we have multiple associations and there is nothing bad in that. Our industry, as far as I am concerned, is new and various things are expected to happen. Ambition will make people establish other associations and it will make people think they have better ideas than their leaders.

Also, some people feel they can use the leadership of their respective body to make money for themselves. Others believe that their participation in the administration will help get more jobs. And if some people don’t have a cordial relationship with the leadership of an association, they think the best option is to leave.

We established the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, which is the foremost association. Though I was not part of the formation, I was at its inaugural meeting. I was even elected to be one of the national executive members under Hubert Ogunde. So, looking at that period till date, you will realise that I have contributed in no small way to the development of theatre association and I worked hard to make the association popular. From being the PRO, I rose to the position of the president.

While I believed I had served the association well, it got to a point when some elders in ANTP thought Oga Bello and I were becoming too powerful in the industry. They felt it should not go on like that. They even went ahead to convince Bello to betray me. But in his own wisdom, he knew they were difficult people to understand and he didn’t do that. He came back and designed a way forward for the association. But in a situation where we had an enemy who was determined to hijack the association for selfish reasons, what do you expect us to do? For more than nine years, we were in court and they later claimed he (Victor Ashaolu) won the case.

Since he is not a professional and he is not practising, we see him as someone who has nothing to offer the industry. I fought the situation. But when my colleagues told me that we shouldn’t drag a case with him if we meant well for the association, I left him to do whatever he wanted to do. With the support of some elders, he went on. But few months after we left, they started fighting each other and divided the association into two. Ashaolu now leads one part while Jimoh Aliu leads the other. We were thankful to God for letting us pull out before the split.

Our new association, Theatre Arts and Motion Picture Producers Association of Nigeria is a gathering of focused people with the same interest. You were at our convention; so, you should be able to say what the association looks like. Nobody is fighting anyone and there is no leadership tussle there. Everything is going accordingly.

At my age, should I even be fighting for positions? We have children and younger actors who are experienced enough to take the mantle of leadership. What people like me and Bello should do is to give them the necessary support because I believe that is what we need in the industry. Everyone must work together to move ahead.

But one thing is certain and I want you to put it in mind. All associations will soon collapse as soon as we set up the Motion Picture Council. The council will be a body that will take decisions, regulate the industry and ensure that the rules and regulations of the profession are strictly adhered to. We are waiting for the government because it must pass through the National Assembly.

Don’t you feel some people may work against the new body?

Some persons are already working against it, according to what I heard. But I consider them to be irrelevant people.

Do you plan to go into politics?

At first, I planned to venture into politics. But I must be sincere with you; I am so attached to my profession. My profession doesn’t really want rivalry and politics will give it a good rivalry.

Source: Daily Times