By Tadeniawo Collins
Kehinde Bankole caught attention as an actor when she made her appearance in the Wale Adenuga Productions’ Super Story in 2007. Ever since her debut on the series, it’s been a gradual rise to fame for the delectable native of Ogun State. The highlight of her acting career so far is her win at the recently held AMVCA 2015 where she was crowned Best Actress in a Drama.
She reveals to NET that there is more to her than just acting; her deep regard for producers, Kunle Afolayan and Mildred Okwo, and how she handles sexual advances from colleagues and men generally.
Can you give us a little insight into your background?
I was into modelling. I was also a stage actor at The Redeemed Christian Church of God before I became a professional actor. I actually changed secondary and primary schools a few times while growing up. My primary education was between Adeniyi Jones Primary School, Tunwase Nursery and Primary School, and Providence Nursery and Primary School. I stayed in the boarding school at the Baptist Girls College, Idi-Aba in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and later came down to finish at Government College, Agege, Lagos. I proceeded to study Mass Communication at the Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ogun State.
How long have you been an actress?
It’s been 12 years now, I think. I started out in 2003.
Coming through the ranks as an actress; how was it for you?
Stressful; it was a lot of hard work and very stressful. There were auditions every time. It was my own way of assessing my performance. If I don’t get a job, I want to know why. When I get back home I reflect on it. I look at who was picked and try to see what I can learn from the way the person looked or sounded, and then I apply what I learnt in my next audition. I also applied these steps in any small role I got, and that was how I kept getting better as I came along.
You’re young, savvy and sexy. How have you coped with attention from male colleagues, producers and others in the industry?
I try not to cope; I just ignore it. I don’t let anything fester. There’s no pressure, because it’s what you give in to that stays. Nothing out there is a do-or-die affair. Naturally, even people who are not actors get hit on regularly. It’s normal. If you don’t let anything fester and you attend to it swiftly and move on, you’ll be okay. I don’t have pressures from men. I handle them quite well, and I don’t see it as anything out of the ordinary. It’s something every other female out there is experiencing as well. Once you handle it well, there’s no pressure.
Did you ever see yourself making it this far and being this successful as an actress when you set out?
I never visualised events as they are unfolding now, but I used to dream a lot. I used to see myself as Michael Jackson performing on stage. I often visualise silly but big things about myself; Michael Jackson was the biggest thing in entertainment back then (chuckles). So, yes, I did think about it back then, but I never pictured the things that are happening now. I’d always felt like, okay, I’ll get good roles and I’ll prove myself, and the roles will keep coming in. That was just what I saw.
Which has been your most challenging movie role till date?
It’s always hard to choose, because all of them have their different challenges. Some of them have longer scenes and periods of work than the others, so it’s hard for me to pick one. When I was shooting The Meeting with Mildred Okwo, I was meant to play Femi Jacob’s 19-year-old daughter. I looked at the producer when I was given that role and she looked back at me and told me I could do it, and I did. The role brought with it the challenge of sounding and walking in a certain way; I was just growing up then.
For that phase, that seemed like my biggest challenge at that time, but I moved on. When I shot Imala, I was a pregnant secondary school teenager. I had to deliver emotions but couldn’t fake anything. Andy Amenechi, who directed the movie, put me through and helped me get through that challenge. October 1 as well presented its own challenges; I had to look African, with dark complexion. I also had to read and have natural afro hair. When I saw the calibre of people I was to be on set with, I was initially overwhelmed. But when we started reading, I realised I had something too and I brought it to the table. There was no room for holding back because the project was a team effort where everybody put in what they had, and the results are obvious now.
What do you think winning the Best Actress award at the AMVCA 2015 portends for your career now?
It will tell people that I’m a good material, and they can think about looking into working with me. People can now think about the direction I’m taking my work to, and if it appeals enough to them they can work with me. The AMVCAs was like a validation that I’ve been doing the right thing and going in the right direction. You know, it’s not good when you’ve been working for a while and there’s nothing to show for it. Sometimes you know you’re good, but the question lingers: ‘when will I be noticed?’ For me, the AMVCA was my validation and notice ground. Now, that I have been noticed, I hope I’ll get more opportunities. I want to explore; I’m the excited type that wants to work and take the entertainment industry forward. I want to get opportunities, give them my best shot, and see where it takes me. So for me, I believe the award will make people take notice of me, and then we’ll see what we can do together.
How did you feel when you were announced winner over a prominent star like Rita Dominic?
I felt like I was in space. There was this flashlight in my mind that went like poof! I would have heard if a needle dropped because everywhere suddenly went so quiet and there was this echo inside my ears; and I was hearing all the claps from a distance. It was like I went back into myself and I embraced myself. It was such an exciting feeling and a happiness that was so genuine.
Tope Tedela trying to woo you on stage when you both stepped out to present the award for Best Supporting Actor; was that real or part of the producers’ script?
It wasn’t a script, it was real.
So, he was really hitting on you on stage?
(Laughs) He was playing. We were just trying to get people excited, I guess.
Is there really anything personal between both of you?
No, there’s nothing (laughs). Honestly, there’s really nothing between us. Though, we did work together on one project but it’s not out yet. The working title of the movie is ‘The Apostates’. He did a fantastic job on the project and I’m looking forward to having it out soon. Apart from that, there’s really nothing between us.
You worked with Mildred Okwo on The Meeting and Kunle Afolayan on October 1. If you were to pick one of them to work with again, who would you pick?
I’ll pick both of them. I can’t ever pick one because they’re both dynamic and different. To pick one would mean losing out on something fantastic on one side, and to pick the other would be to be losing out on something phenomenal on the other side. It would be my dream to continue picking both of them.
But if you have to work on only one project at any particular time and had to pick between them, whose project would you choose?
I’m not into selecting persons; I’m into the story. In such a case, I will look at the story and I’ll settle for one. It’s not about who’s producing the project but always about the script. In all cases, it should be about the script because that’s what will make you get whatever it is you want. It’s the story; not the producer or people working on it. The only thing is that you can trust certain people to always have good stories, but it’s always about the story for me.
The AMVCA is like your first major award; do you think the industry has been fair to you so far?
I think the industry has been very fair to me. Apart from this award at the AMVCA, I won the Revelation Of The Year award at Best of Nollywood Awards (BON) in 2009. Someone who was a revelation in 2009 will crawl before walking; one definitely needs time to grow. I’ve been learning on the job and it’s been fair. If you keep getting accolades every year, you may feel like you’ve arrived, when your craft is still bad. But if the awards take time in coming and you have to work very hard to earn them, it’s for your own good. Getting all these things alone is not going to take you forward. You’ll just get it, put it on your shelf and go right back to where you’re coming from. So I think they’ve been very fair to me.
Which Nigerian actors do you regard as role your models or mentors?
Well, because my craft is a creative; I can have role models for my life and personal things, but for my work, I don’t have anybody I’m trying to fashion my work after. I’m learning from the structure and people, and I’m taking a lot from different people around me. It’s dangerous to take after one person because you’ll become stereotyped, so I’m learning from a lot of people. For lifestyle, I have local and international mentors. But, my work is open to life; it’s open to anybody and everybody to teach me. I have mentors in life and people I look up to generally like Wale Adenuga, Oprah Winfrey; everybody disses Kim Kardashian but I love her so much because she’s my fashion icon. I love Tyler Perry and Kunle Afolayan too. Mildred Okwo too has been an inspiration.
What three movies would you rather be stuck on a deserted island with and why?
I’d pick Why Did I Get Married Too, October 1 and Sometimes in April. I’d pick Sometimes in April because it teaches the sober reflections of life. It’s not every time one can be happy and the movie will endear one to the world in such a situation and place like that. I picked October 1 because in such a place, I need to remind myself how fantastic life and the arts are, and I need to be able to see myself and see what my colleagues have done. It would also be a good motivation for me because I’m in it, and I’m in such a bad position at that time. Then, I picked Why Did I Get Married Too because it’s entertaining and Tyler Perry is there; he’s one of my key people.
Are you in a relationship presently and how have you been able to balance your work and personal life?
That’s private and I’m not willing to talk about it now. I feel its better I just keep quiet about it so that I don’t complicate anything and create any misconceptions.
Has your new celebrity status impacted your life and career in any way?
Yes, it has. I get more work offers, and I get a little more respect for my work and for myself. I’m developed better mentally. I don’t have to fight to earn respect. When I get it, I appreciate it. Even now I still get some disrespect and I take it, because I believe it’s a double-edged situation. It’s a place of humility and a place where one is being tested. That’s what I’m going through now. I don’t get upset when I get disrespected. Instead, I spend my time and energy, trying to analyze the person disrespecting me and why. I’m using this period to train myself a lesson in humility, and I’m different now because it’s really helped me. I’m a lot more reflective now than I used to be, and the opportunities are coming.
What’s the next level for Kehinde Bankole in 2015 after your prestigious win at the AMVCAs?
I want to be part of works that will be spoken of all around the world. Works that will be coming out of Africa from great teams in this country. Kehinde is going to be mixing with people, planning to take Africa forward. I’m going to give all my energy to such people who are giving their time to make sure Africa is seen globally. I won’t miss that opportunity. I don’t know where the journey is going to take me. Whether it’s going to be in acting forever or evolve into something else; I’m open to developing and to taking things as they come. That’s the level I’m in right now; the level of exploring opportunities.
If you were not an actor, what else would you have been?
I would certainly have been a singer, and I would be in the beauty business. I’d professionally be a singer and I’d run a beauty business on the side.
Have you always been a singer too?
Yes, but I haven’t come out to do something more solid. I’ve recorded singles with my group; we’re called ‘Rave’, and we’ve got airplay at some point in time but we’ve never really pushed our music like we’re ready for mainstream yet. We’re ready for the homework presently though, because it’s been a long time coming. I’ve always been making sounds and doing business with music; I paid my bills through school with music and I’ve always been making soundtracks. I’ve not just really followed through on it because I’m already out there as an actor. It’s always been a challenge having the two and no one can joke with any of them. So, I praise people like Beyonce and Rihanna, (who had a short role in a movie recently), and Jennifer Lopez because it’s not funny or easy at all to combine acting with music. That’s the challenge right now, but we never can tell what can happen.
So, can we look forward to an album from you in the near future?
Yes, but it will be a Rave album. You can expect anything from me on this in the near future. If you put your mind to making something work because it’s what you want to do, it will surely work out.