In 2012, Nollywood actors Femi Jacobs and Linda Ejiofor made their Nollywood big screen debut in TASC’s box office hit, THE MEETING. Femi unlike Linda was making his very first voyage into Nollywood. The pretty Linda had however spent a few years working on MNET Africa’s Tinsel. This would however do her little good in the Mildred Okwo led “boot camp”. In the first of two interviews with these two actors, we chat with the talented Femi Jacobs a.k.a Mr. M. about working on his Nollywood debut
Q: Hi Femi, very quickly run us through the life of Femi Jacobs before he auditioned for and was cast as Mr Makinde Esho in The Meeting?
A: Regular. I was a hard worker. And I was anonymous. I think I still deceive myself that I am these days. I loved to dress up and go to work. Then I’d head to church when it opened. I was a banker and I ran a business on the side. I was a recording artist and an MC. I would sing on the weekends and sometime I would head to the studio after work to record a song. I sometime wrote songs at work. I was also on TINSEL by this time. Not sure anyone noticed but the crew. They were blown away but still thought I was a fluke. Had no idea what I was doing. But I kind of enjoyed it somewhat. So I was on their watch list. They weren’t really sure what to do with my character I presumed and I didn’t really know enough about the business and craft to influence it either way. Glad I didn’t mess it up though. So, there I was. A regular Joe.
Q: Alright, so how did you hear about the auditions for The Meeting, and why did you decide to attend it?
A: Well, a close colleague on TINSEL, Matilda Obaseki, (Angela), told me about it. She said someone called Mildred Okwo wanted my number. I had no idea who that was but she mentioned her name with some degree of awe. She said she gave it to her. And that was it. The matter rested for a number of weeks. I was at my mechanic’s one weekend morning when my phone rang and it was a +44 number. Picked up and it was someone called Mildred. She wanted to come into town and she would like to meet with me regarding the movie project. I became a bit excited but I curbed my enthusiasm. I remembered her from my conversations with Matilda. To be honest I thought it was far fetched. This is a country where people give opportunities to people they know. So I wasn’t expecting it to go anywhere to be honest. After all, who was I? But she came back as promised and she called again. Mildred was different, as I would later learn. I was invited to the auditions. I was like really?
Q: Now, you’re at the auditions, walk us through how it went?
A: The auditions took place just a few blocks away from my office on Sanusi Fafunwa. What are the odds? I walked in tentatively and I saw what looked like over a hundred people seated under a tent outside a bungalow, orderly. A few ladies were at the back with the register. They asked me to write my name and I was about to do that when I heard a voice I knew all so well call one of the ladies. I looked and I saw one of nature’s most gorgeous creature standing there beckoning to me. She was in a pair of slim blue jeans and white top I think. But it was the skin I noticed the most. Clear as the sky. I was like…um me? Rita Dominic said, “you’re FEMI right?” I nodded slowly, and she said, “come inside”. My first time of meeting her face to face and she started the conversation? Wow! Everyone turned around to see who their goddess favoured. LOL. I became even more tentative in my stride. I was wondering what trap I was entering into. Went in and saw a panel at the end of the empty living room. But I was ushered into a room by the right before I could take the faces in. I spotted Ego Boyo first. I sat there and they asked if I wanted a drink. I didn’t, naturally. Saw some actors there as well. Was given a script. It was soon my turn and I read with another actor before the panel and was told to go bring my picture. Imagine? I was such a rookie I didn’t go with a headshot. You get the picture?
Q: What did you do to get ready to go on set? Did you get tips from anyone on what to expect?
A: It still felt so surreal. I’d done a low budget movie for my church by this time called CHOICES, and I had also done TINSEL and another TV series called TANGO, also by my church. But it was the first time I would be acting on that scale. There I was at the reading and I realised it was a big deal. Then the script was delivered to my house by one Mr Emmanuel and I saw my character’s name all over the script. I began to recognise that I had to figure out how to carry the film, that it was a make or break situation for me. I remembered how Madam Mildred was examining me like a doctor would a patient. Her eyes were boring into my face like lasers. I later learned that she was plotting my expressions and nuances. It felt strange. So I knew I had to get it together. We went through weight, expressions, voice tone and accent, how to walk and slouch, etc. it was intense. Then we did chemistry test and all that. The director was clear about you getting your lines before coming on set, so I knew I had to get my act together. So I piled on weight and let my face drool and practiced talking a bit more deliberately. I planned costume and practiced ‘the walk’ many times in my corridor. Then I read up on presence and kept my ears open.
Q: You have reported to set and been given your call sheet, were there any rituals you did to get ready for day one of the shoot?
A: I remembered telling myself to listen. So each day I watched everyone and listened intently. I realised how little I knew about Nollywood. I discovered how down to earth the ‘stars’ really were. I fell in love with the story and I learned the lines religiously. Didn’t want to take anything for granted. So the only ritual was…listening. I was mute as I watched everyone and everything.
Q: What was your first day like? On a scale of “Fantastic to What am I doing here?” how would you rate it?
A: I was lost. Clueless. I don’t know if that was a choice or if it was real. I took advantage of the fact that I wasn’t expected to know much. So I decided to act it out. I later found that it was a brilliant choice. A lot of what I would have presumed on dangerously, I didn’t. And listening made people tell me much more than they would otherwise. Basorge, Kate Henshaw, Rita, Nse, and the rest, had a whole lot to tell me. I became freer and more vocal after I’d learned everyone though.
Q: Mildred Okwo is regarded as a very tasking director, is this statement a myth or an understatement?
A: Understatement. Mildred would shake you. I think she enjoys deconstructing and then reconstructing actors. How do you escape someone who says, “I know all your choices, expressions and cheat tricks”? You have to dig deep, and it doesn’t really matter who we think you are. Sorry, but it doesn’t.
Q: What was your most difficult day or scene on set of The Meeting?
A: The Unilag scenes. Acting under the glaring sun for hours on end wasn’t fun. Far from it.
Q: Femi Jacobs played a middle aged man in The Meeting, what was it like having to learn the mannerism of an older man, and packing on all that extra weight?
A: I have always acted older than my age, even in real life. So I assumed it would be easy. How gloriously wrong I was. The weight wasn’t a challenge until I realised I had to keep it on until about a year later as filming dragged on.
Q: In The Meeting you mostly played opposite Linda Ejiofor and Rita Dominic, what were the two ladies like as costars?
A: Rita was gracious from day one. Always ready to teach. I don’t know if it was because it was her film. (Insert laugh here). But seriously she is amazing as a person and as an artist.
For Linda, I have a back story. I am quirky and weird naturally. I’m not given to adjusting to make people feel comfortable. My thinking is, you’re responsible for yourself. So you can imagine how she felt initially after meeting me. We had met somewhat on TINSEL. But we didn’t really act together. She didn’t find me warm as a person. Well, I wasn’t warm as a person to be honest. When I watch the film now and see our scenes, I am amazed at the chemistry. The director blended us well. We grew to be best of pals before shoot was over and still are till now.
Q: Okay, let us fast forward a little, The Meeting has now been released and a lot of people now know the name Femi Jacobs in relation to acting as opposed to music, how did the guys who knew you as a singer take the new career direction?
A: Some were blown away. Others were skeptical. I can still see people struggling with the reality of Femi, the singer/actor. Some are worried I would leave music for the more glamorous acting. But I am just chilling having fun. Truth is, the two will blend eventually and the balance in perception will come.
Q: What did The Meeting do for your career in film?
A: The right question is – What didn’t THE MEETING do for my career in film?
Q: You’ve done a lot of work since The Meeting, what are the five favourite projects you’ve worked on, excluding The Meeting of course.
A: The Visit, The Rose Garden, How To Be Lola’s Husband, Black Silhouette, Dream Walker.
Q: Nollywood has a tendency to type cast actors, did you find that you were only getting roles similar to The Meeting after its release?
A: Typically. I did mostly those roles for the better part of 2013. As a matter of fact I am having to deliberately steer the perception away from that now. Things are much varied now in 2014. Thankfully.
Q: Are there things you learnt on the set of The Meeting that you took on to other projects?
A: Timeliness. The craft of believability. Respect for the audience. Faith in the director. A keen eye on the merger between craft and commerce. I am more often than not disappointed but still I hold on to these values. If I ever lose them, I’ll quit.
Q: If you could do this all over again, would you choose The Meeting as a first film and why?
A: Yes. It taught me in a painstakingly masterful way that you can do an artistic film and still make some money. Commitment to the tenets pays. Get the basics right. You can’t rush a good thing. Never begin without a vision.
Q: What are two important tips you’d give actors looking to land their first feature film?
A: Do the small things in a big way.
Pour your raw self into the role you have at hand.
Don’t wait for the big screen to be a big deal.
Function independent of your environment as there aren’t many excellent examples.
Don’t follow people who take their work for granted.
Set your standards so high that even on your bad days you’re still a high flyer.
Q: Parting words for your fans and how can they connect with Femi Jacobs on Social Media?
A: I am humbled by the support so far. God bless y’all.
Twitter/Instagram @femijacobs
facebook.com/officialfemijacobs
Soundcloud.com/femijacobs
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