By ‘Fúnmilọ́lá Sanya, Culled from BellaNaija
When Funke Akindele announced her latest film “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” we knew it was bound to be another blockbuster. After all, Funke isn’t hailed as the queen of Nollywood hits for nothing. Her previous movie, “A Tribe Called Judah,” smashed records by raking in a jaw-dropping 1 billion Naira at the Nigerian box office within just three weeks—a feat no other Nollywood film has achieved this quickly. And let’s not forget her other big hits that have kept us coming back to the cinemas for more.
Naturally, we’re as excited as every other fan of the unforgettable Jenifa to see her back on screen. And this time, in “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” we’re getting to see her in a whole new light.
Joining Jenifa is a lineup of Nollywood stars, including Nancy Isime, Stan Nze, Bisola Aiyeola, Patience Ozokwor, Chimezie Imo, Jackie Appiah, Isaac Olayiwola (AKA Layi Wasabi), and Folarin Falana (Falz), and they’re all set to bring their own magic to the mix.
Ahead of the film’s release, we caught up with the gents—Isaac Olayiwola, Chimezie Imo, and Stan Nze—who shared their excitement about being part of this project. They gave us a sneak peek into what it was like behind the scenes and, of course, some hints about what we can expect from their characters.
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Layi Wasabi has some ‘legal advice’ for Jenifa
Hey Layi, how are you doing today?
Great! Thank you.
On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you to be part of “Everybody Loves Jenifa”?
10/10. I’m pretty much excited to be a part of what I consider to be a movement and a cinematic masterpiece. It was also a pleasure to able to work alongside Funke Akindele and other actors I have always admired for the longest time.
You have a unique comedic style. How much of that personality do you bring into your character on Everybody Loves Jenifa?
Everybody loves Jenifa is a different ballgame. Yes, I maintain my comedic nature but this time in a different way that I haven’t portrayed anywhere else. I think that to be one of the highlights of this forthcoming movie.
What’s one thing you’d like the audience to keep an eye out for in your character? Any details you’re particularly excited for them to see?
Everything I intended for the audience to notice while acting my character, I made obvious. Although the one thing I would love for the audience to not miss is my fashion sense. I was definitely dripping my entire stay on set.
What’s it been like working alongside Funke Akindele and the rest of the cast? Any memorable or funny moments from the set you can share?
I mostly love that she’s very funny and caring. She works very hard and doesn’t joke with the welfare of cast and crew just to make sure everyone is fine. I remember when we shooting in Ghana and one of the crew members accidentally dropped into the pool rather than let anyone who couldn’t swim try to get the phone, she instantly promised to get him a new phone. This is why everybody loves Jenifa😂
You’ve been in a couple of films recently. How does working on Everybody Loves Jenifa compare to your other acting experiences?
This is the most challenging character I have played on screen because it is different from what I have been used to portraying. I felt myself grow into character as the story developed and It was beautiful to see that side of me as an actor.
Okay, “The Law”, if you could give any of the characters in “Everybody Loves Jenifa” some legal advice, who would you choose, and what would you tell them?
As The Law, My advice will be to Jenifa: “Eiin Madam, not everytime you need to be the people’s superhero. Sometimes just call police and rest. Whoever is fighting crime must ready to chop blow. E pele”
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Chimezie reveals he’s been a long time Jenifa superfan.
On a scale of 1-10, the thrill of being part of “Everybody Loves Jenifa” is …
I am very much excited to be a part of “Everybody Loves Jenifa.” I have been a fan of the Jenifa franchise for years. So when my team got the all that Funke Akindele wanted me to be a part of this project, I was excited. I loved the character. I loved the cast I was going to be playing with. She shared the vision for the project with me and I felt it was really big. I am just happy to be a part of it.
Describe your character in 3 words
He is brave, a lover and loyal.
What do you think audiences will find most interesting about your character?
It’s almost impossible to say anything about my character, Swift, without spoilers but I will say Swift is a loyal runner for Bebe who is a drug lord played by the beautiful Jackie Appiah. He is a good guy and has the best intentions but life just happened and he thought ‘one more task and I’m done with this’ but life had other plans for him.
If you could play any other character from the film in real life, who would you choose?
If I am to play any other character, it would definitely be Shege. I love Shege’s character. I love his naivety and innocence. You know (chuckles)… he’s just very hilarious to me.
What’s been the most exciting part of collaborating with Funke Akindele and the rest of the cast?
One exciting thing about working with Funke Akindele is, she hired professionals. Growing, young professionals who knew what they were doing. Everyone was very very professional. She has such a big heart. She catered to me all through filming while we were in Nigeria and in Ghana. I had the best room, her welfare was amazing. She is a visionaire. She has this vision and would like to see it come to fruition. She has this way of sharing the vision with you so you see what she sees. I liked that about her. She is a go-getter and she is one of the hardest worker I have had to work with. Oh my God! she is such a hard-worker and it’s quite inspiring when you work with someone who is one. I feel like at the stage she is in her career, she doesn’t need to work this hard but auntie Funke works as if she is just starting her career.
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Stan Nze teases one thing about his character: you won’t see him coming!
Hey Stan, great to have you here. How’s everything going?
Hi BellaNaija. It’s so good to be here. Thank you for having me. Everything is going fine. I’m living my best life right now. I’m living my dream and family is great. I wake up every day with smiles on my face because there’s something to always live for. I have my son Jaybobo, my wife (Blessing) and a booming career. I’m really grateful to God.
Awwwn, we love it! On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about joining “Everybody Loves Jenifa”?
Can it be a hundred? Can I move the scale to a hundred? Because I’m really pumped up. More so, because auntie Funke is a legend. Working with her has just sort of opened my eyes to another dimension of filmmaking, to be honest. I’ve learnt a lot about filming this. To be honest, I can’t wait to see what it looks like. I always tell my colleagues that we won’t know the gravity of the film until the premiere day. Because it’s so large. The sheer scale of this project is mind boggling.
What was it like working alongside such a diverse cast?
Working with the cast of “Everybody Loves Jenifa” is ‘every day one drama.’ It was such an ensemble. I had interactions directly with, of course, Nancy Isime who plays my wife, my mother in-law, auntie Patience Ozokwor, Chinenye Nebe, Destiny Etiko. These guys are my family. We’ve worked together a couple of times and it’s always fun doing it again, and again.
More so, the drama that comes with going to set every day even when we aren’t filming. I have videos on my phone I go back to that cracks me up. For instance, us singing in the location bus on our way to set. It was a great family and it was great working with them. I totally enjoyed it and I cannot wait to do it again, and again, and again.
How does this role differ from others you’ve played, especially when it comes to humour and relatability?
First of all, I played the role of Lobster – Lawrence Anyanwu. He got the name “Lobster” from his love for Lobsters. He’s a cool, calm, collected guy. However, he’s got a lot up his sleeves. Not to give so much away. What is funny about him, in as much as he’s a very serious character in the movie, is the fact that he’s two-faced and the way he goes off about it including his interactions with Jenifa makes him really funny.
I’m trying not to give so much away. I think we are going to relate with lobster. We have a lot of lobsters around us. People who are seemingly the guy next door but if you look deeper, these guys are… (withdraws statement) That’s all I’m going to say about that. Enjoyable!
What do you think audiences will find most interesting about your character?
I think what the audience will find most interesting about my character is that they don’t see him coming. They really don’t see him coming. He’s that guy, who… BellaNaija you’re trying to… I don’t want to say some things so that.. but the guy is, like I said earlier, the guy is (withdraws statement). The guy is… (hmmmm) (laughs).
If you could live as any character from the film in real life, who would you choose?
“If I can live as any character in the movie real life, who would it be? Uhm… I would have said a Jenifa, because I like how brave and daring she’s grown over the years. That’s seemingly who I am with my career. I’ve grown, evolved, and I see that with Jenifa. However, I don’t really think I can deal with bad grammar. So I will pass.
Sege is alike with his bad grammar.
Adaku, will it be Adaku because I like food too? I love a good life so maybe Adaku.
We had such a good time having this conversation with the gents. Watch out for our next interview with the ladies of “Everybody Loves Jenifa” and, of course, with Jenifa and Sege! You don’t want to miss this.
