Why I can’t act with dad –Femi Adebayo, Oga Bello’s son

Femi Adebayo has become one of the most sought-after
thespians in the entertainment world. He has acted
meritoriously to move out from the shadow of his actor father,
Adebayo Salami, a.k.a Oga Bello. In this interview, the actor
says he can never act with his father on set and why.
Excerpts:
Is having a backbone like your dad in the industry the ticket to
the centre stage?
It is a yes and no answer. Yes in the sense that the moment I
was able to climb the ladder to a particular stage, I was fully
supported and managed by my backbone in the industry which
is my father. I would also say no, because it wasn’t the fame
that gave me the opportunity to get to the centre stage. I
went for many auditioning and won several roles that actually
led me to the top, but to say the truth my father’s influence
helped me a lot.
Tell us the difference in your relationship with “Oga Bello” and
Adebayo Salami?
It’s totally different. On set we are colleagues and father and
son off set. Sincerely my father would not agree to play father
and son role on set, because he believes every role needs to
be interpreted well and real. Acting a father and son role
would definitely call for series of actions like me shouting at
him, slapping and pushing him which I wouldn’t want to do to
a wonderful father in the sense to make our acting real. All the
same, the most fantastic thing about my father is that he is
approachable, got that listening ear, no matter how terrific the
situation is. My mother is also tolerant.
So what would you have changed about the way you were
raised?
Probably, I would have said the economy and the society at
large which I believe would definitely have one or two roles to
work on my parents to raise me in a particular way. I would
have preferred to be raised in a better conducive environment,
so I could be a butter boy.
How real are stories of romance at filming locations?
It is quite unfortunate that illiteracy among some of our fans
tends to affect their reasoning ability, though not all of them.
Sometimes I begin to wonder why people cook up such
irritating ideas. That’s why we show a lot in the making of the
movies at the end of our films. Sincerely actors and actresses
are decent people, we are not fools.
Are you saying actors and actresses are saints?
Even if anything is going to happen, it must be something of
mature minds, not the other way round. You may intend to
like a colleague, not only in acting sector even in your own
field, I believe nothing is stopping you so far both parties are
mature. But have it at the back of your mind that actors and
actresses are decent people.
Have you ever dated Funke Akindele?
Truly speaking, I have decided not to answer any question as
regards Funke Akindele anymore. She is a female colleague,
we most times work together to interpret roles and that’s all.
I’m doing my job the way I love doing it. Obviously I have
links with a number of actresses that are also committed and
not only Funke Akindele.
So, how easy was it quitting law for acting?
I would say it’s a divine call. No doubt about the fact that you
need to take some extra steps to excel in your field especially
the moment you choose two different things which are acting
and law. But so far it is God’s calling, then it will definitely be
easy.
Don’t you think you would perform better interpreting the role
of a lawyer?
No doubt about it, if I have to play the role of a lawyer in a
movie I will definitely do it well, because that’s my real self,
not acting. That’s why I will never play the role of a lawyer in
any movie, for the simple reason that I see it as a normal part
of me, which is no more acting
Your major challenge
The major challenge that I can recollect was in 1997, the time
I wanted to partake in an English play, then, it was dominated
by Igbo. If you were born Yoruba they would quickly get you
out of the game, even if you performed well during auditioning.
This prompted many Yoruba to change their names to bear
English name but I can’t just change mine. I can’t try to be
who I am not, so that alone made me concentrate more on
Yoruba films. To God be the glory I’m doing it big, many of
them even like acting Yoruba movies now that our culture
brings us more stories every now and then.
So how stylish is Femi Adebayo?
Femi Adebayo is just very simple. I love to wear what suits
me, I costume myself in most of my movies. I shop for new
clothes every two weeks. Femi doesn’t need to go out of
Nigeria to pick his choice, I settle for Nigerian made anytime I
am home and buy things over there when I am out of the
country. I like sky blue color of socks, listen to all kinds of
music and to crown it, I love eating beans. (Smiles)