If you watched the Yoruba movie
titled Apesin, Bukky Fagbuyi’s face should be stamped on your mind.
With an acting experience of over ten years, Bukky Apesin, as she is now
fondly called, is set to paint the town red with her new movie,
Sekunola, which she just concluded. In this interview with FUNMI SALOME
JOHNSON of National Mirror, the Business Administration graduate of the University of Ado
Ekiti speaks on the challenges of her acting career, her new movie and
her rare passion for children among other things.
How long ago have you been acting?
I have been acting in church dramas and in school for a very long time. But professionally, I have been acting for over ten years.
In which movie did you play your first major role ?
It was in Apesin. I played the lead role.
How did you get into professional acting?
About ten years ago, I enrolled as an apprentice under the ace actor Muyiwa Ademola, who gave me all the exposure I needed and taught me the rudiments of the profession. I studied Business Administration at the University of Ado Ekiti and was acting on part time basis until I graduated. It was also during that time that I featured in Apesin
How do you prepare for your roles?
I rehearse in front of a mirror to see what it will look like when I am being watched. I also take my time to practice one or two other characters of the movie apart from my own character. I go the extra mile to research how different people would react to the same situation my character is to play.
For instance, if I am to play the role of a mad woman, I will go to town and see how mad people behave and how they do things, so that when the time comes for me to play such a role, I will do it well.
A number of people have died in the entertainment industry in the last few months. Does this scare you?
We think a lot of people die in the industry because they are in the public eye. People die every day. Thousands of people die every day at different times in various sectors. But because entertainers are in the public eye and they are well known, it appears like they are the only ones dying. That is not the truth.
For instance, look at the number of people that died in the Dana plane crash last year, or the people who died in different infernos that happened in different parts of the country at the beginning of the year. Those were not entertainers. We just have to keep praying against untimely death for everyone in our country.
What are you working on currently?
I have just completed my own movie, produced by me and directed by Muyiwa Ademola and Bayo Tijani. It is titled Sekunola.
What themes does the movie explore?
The movie is an all encompassing one that has its focus on children, parental guidance, love and life in general. It is a movie that parents in particular must watch. It is also about child abuse and its negative impact.
It is meant to encourage parents to give serious thought to giving a sound education to their children. For instance, I am a graduate of Business administration. Although I am not exactly working with the certificate at the moment, the knowledge I have received in the course of my study has impacted positively on my acting career. So education and good training are very important for children, because the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
What prompted the idea of that theme in you?
I love children and I believe a lot in them because they are the future of tomorrow. I want to use the movie to encourage parents to invest in their children, especially in the area of education.
I want to use the movie to make parents see that no matter what we are going through, we should endeavour to give our children the best of training in all areas of life. Doing so is building a strong and mighty nation. I also want children to learn how to behave and make the best of their lives.
Who are on the cast of the movie?
The movie has people like Muyiwa Ademola, Dayo Amusa, Ogogo, Saheed Balogun, Ibrahim Chata, Bimbo Oshin, Aderupoko, Kemi Afolabi, Olaitan Ogunjobi, myself and a host of others.
With the high level of competition in the industry, how do you intend to market the movie?
I intend to premier the movie around before taking it to the cinemas. For now, I am doing the project in conjunction with a company that will be working with me on the premier.
I have strategies and plans on how I will be going about it and I know that by the grace of God, things will turn out well. There are also plans to do the final premier in the UK. The plan is to do the final premier in May to mark Children’s Day.
As someone who has been in the entertainment industry for ten years, would you say sexual harassment is a big issue in the industry?
Sexual harassment is all over the world, not just in the movie industry. People talk about it because the movie people and those in the industry are in the public eye. These things happen in every sector, not just in the movie industry.
Have you ever been sexually harassed?
Yes. I have had experiences of such. I have been sexually harassed. But you know it takes two to tango; it is a two way thing. If someone makes a demand on you and you are not interested in doing it, you can decline. The worst that could come out of it is that you will not give me what I want at that time.
But that does not mean I cannot go elsewhere and still get what I want. It may take time, but you will surely get there. You may pursue ten jobs and get maybe two that will not demand for that in exchange for the job.
Can you date a movie industry player?
It will depend on who the person is and whether he is my kind of man or not. If he has what I need in a man, I will go for him even if he is in the industry.
How long ago have you been acting?
I have been acting in church dramas and in school for a very long time. But professionally, I have been acting for over ten years.
In which movie did you play your first major role ?
It was in Apesin. I played the lead role.
How did you get into professional acting?
About ten years ago, I enrolled as an apprentice under the ace actor Muyiwa Ademola, who gave me all the exposure I needed and taught me the rudiments of the profession. I studied Business Administration at the University of Ado Ekiti and was acting on part time basis until I graduated. It was also during that time that I featured in Apesin
How do you prepare for your roles?
I rehearse in front of a mirror to see what it will look like when I am being watched. I also take my time to practice one or two other characters of the movie apart from my own character. I go the extra mile to research how different people would react to the same situation my character is to play.
For instance, if I am to play the role of a mad woman, I will go to town and see how mad people behave and how they do things, so that when the time comes for me to play such a role, I will do it well.
A number of people have died in the entertainment industry in the last few months. Does this scare you?
We think a lot of people die in the industry because they are in the public eye. People die every day. Thousands of people die every day at different times in various sectors. But because entertainers are in the public eye and they are well known, it appears like they are the only ones dying. That is not the truth.
For instance, look at the number of people that died in the Dana plane crash last year, or the people who died in different infernos that happened in different parts of the country at the beginning of the year. Those were not entertainers. We just have to keep praying against untimely death for everyone in our country.
What are you working on currently?
I have just completed my own movie, produced by me and directed by Muyiwa Ademola and Bayo Tijani. It is titled Sekunola.
What themes does the movie explore?
The movie is an all encompassing one that has its focus on children, parental guidance, love and life in general. It is a movie that parents in particular must watch. It is also about child abuse and its negative impact.
It is meant to encourage parents to give serious thought to giving a sound education to their children. For instance, I am a graduate of Business administration. Although I am not exactly working with the certificate at the moment, the knowledge I have received in the course of my study has impacted positively on my acting career. So education and good training are very important for children, because the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
What prompted the idea of that theme in you?
I love children and I believe a lot in them because they are the future of tomorrow. I want to use the movie to encourage parents to invest in their children, especially in the area of education.
I want to use the movie to make parents see that no matter what we are going through, we should endeavour to give our children the best of training in all areas of life. Doing so is building a strong and mighty nation. I also want children to learn how to behave and make the best of their lives.
Who are on the cast of the movie?
The movie has people like Muyiwa Ademola, Dayo Amusa, Ogogo, Saheed Balogun, Ibrahim Chata, Bimbo Oshin, Aderupoko, Kemi Afolabi, Olaitan Ogunjobi, myself and a host of others.
With the high level of competition in the industry, how do you intend to market the movie?
I intend to premier the movie around before taking it to the cinemas. For now, I am doing the project in conjunction with a company that will be working with me on the premier.
I have strategies and plans on how I will be going about it and I know that by the grace of God, things will turn out well. There are also plans to do the final premier in the UK. The plan is to do the final premier in May to mark Children’s Day.
As someone who has been in the entertainment industry for ten years, would you say sexual harassment is a big issue in the industry?
Sexual harassment is all over the world, not just in the movie industry. People talk about it because the movie people and those in the industry are in the public eye. These things happen in every sector, not just in the movie industry.
Have you ever been sexually harassed?
Yes. I have had experiences of such. I have been sexually harassed. But you know it takes two to tango; it is a two way thing. If someone makes a demand on you and you are not interested in doing it, you can decline. The worst that could come out of it is that you will not give me what I want at that time.
But that does not mean I cannot go elsewhere and still get what I want. It may take time, but you will surely get there. You may pursue ten jobs and get maybe two that will not demand for that in exchange for the job.
Can you date a movie industry player?
It will depend on who the person is and whether he is my kind of man or not. If he has what I need in a man, I will go for him even if he is in the industry.
