Movies & TV
Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Tobi Bakre, Chiké & Bimbo Ademoye Discuss Their Roles in “Gangs of Lagos”
The latest addition to the Nollywood film industry is “Gangs of Lagos“, the first African original movie of Prime Video, now available worldwide on Prime Video, and it’s taking social media by storm. We caught up with the lead actors, Adesua Etomi-Wellington as Gift, Tobi Bakre as Obalola, and Chiké as Ify.
In our conversation, they gave us some insights into their roles, talked about the bond they formed while working as a team, and divulged a few details about how they prepared for their respective roles.
Adesua on preparing for her role as “Gift”
First of all, I just want to say that I am grateful for the opportunity to play a character like Gift, a strong woman. Also, to play a character that required so much from me physically and emotionally at the same time. I have always been somewhat physical, but most people don’t know that side of me because I haven’t played many of those roles. I did physical theatre for five years, so it was a muscle that I have been itching to scratch, and for it to be done in a way that I would be proud of as well. I was five months postpartum at the time, but I went through stunt training with Tough Bones. His team is amazing. It required a lot of stunt training, and we worked on our choreography. Learning it is one thing, and then going on set to film it is another. It’s not just the physicality of the moment, but also the emotions that come with it.
I think it’s about trusting the character and the work you’ve done prior, believing that it’ll come through when you need it to, and channelling the emotions needed for the scene to come alive.
Tobi on his roles in “Brotherhood” and “Gangs Of Lagos”
We shot “Gangs of Lagos” before “Brotherhood.” We shot “Gangs of Lagos” in 2021, so the performance you see is the energy from “Brotherhood” because Obalola existed. Everything that I had learned to deliver for the character of Obalola is now in my acting bag. The skills I acquired and the experience I gained were the things I was able to leverage to deliver the character of “Kalashnikov” in “Brotherhood.” That’s the story of it. I had to go through classes with Lala. God bless her. Jade pushed me, and most of all, Jade trusted me. I am a hard worker, but when people trust you, it signifies respect. From the get-go of the project, I gained Adesua’s trust and more. Also, Jade is there. You see the power of women. I couldn’t fail all the women in my life. And I’m glad it showed up on screen.
Chiké on playing Ify and how his character was pivotal
I was still asking my manager, “I am not in enough scenes.” She was like, Yeah, you’re number three on the call sheet. You understand call sheets, right? When you die, things change. No matter how short in your opinion, it’s a pivotal place to be. My personal opinion would be that I wanted to be in more scenes, but looking at the big picture, I am just happy to be in that position.
(Adesua adds: You were the catalyst)
Adesua on the portrayal of parental love in “Gangs of Lagos” and how it impacted the upbringing of the children, either positively or negatively
I think love matters, whether you’re a mother or father. The affection and love that you show your child are really important. Letting them know that they are loved unconditionally. Let them know that you’re a safe space, and they can come and tell you anything and everything. I think it’s really important as well. Nobody has the handbook on parenthood. Nobody always gets it right. Trying your best, which I think is really important, and just figuring things out as you go along Love is fundamental that should always be there.
Chiké on Ify’s compassion and passion
Adesua: Ify was a nice balance between Obalola and Gift. Obalola was hard and dark. Gift was somewhat playful and hard. Ify is what balances us (Obalola and Gift) out. Ify just wants to do music.
Chiké: In my opinion, Ify is creative. The character was created like that. To have passion for something other than just delivering a task or something. He has dreams, you know, through art. I think that’s what the character was meant to be. As they said, he was the balance between two extremes.
Similarities between them and their character
Chiké: The parts where he goofs around. I can be like that with people I’m extremely comfortable with. For some of the parts where he was goofy, I enjoyed it because I get goofy like that. That wasn’t even tough for me at all. I tried to make sure I stayed within the character.
Tobi: One of the major differences between Obalola and myself is that Obalola is a man of not too many words. And I talk. I don’t kill people (laughs). I am not brutal. I am not vengeful. Regardless of how loving he is, he can come across as that. I see a lot of myself in him. He is a hard worker. He just wants to make it out, and that’s kind of how I live my life. I really just want to make it as one of the global stars out of Nigeria/Africa.
Adesua: Definitely. Gift is very much about the people that she loves and me; when I love you, you will know. I am like that till tomorrow. I love. I love people, and if you mess with my people, you have messed with me. Gift is very much like that. She will fight for the people that she loves. I am not that much of a physical fighter, so there’s a difference there, but she’s also very tough. She looks soft but tough, and that’s also very much like me. There are similarities—a lot of things that make me feel connected to her. And there are enough differences that make me excited about playing her in the film.
Tayo Faniran on his experience filming “Gangs of Lagos”
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Adesua on why she chose to star in “Gangs Of Lagos”
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Bimbo Ademoye on how important it was for her to be part of this project
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