Tall, Dark and Handsome ‘Tinsel’ Star, Gbenro Ajibade is definitely a charmer. Modeling and acting are two of his greatest passions. In this interview with ORUKPE NELSON, he speaks about his budding acting career and his love for his beautiful fiancé, Osas Ighodaro who is also a Tinsel star.
You started out your career as a model. How did it all begin?
That was way back in school. I was given a course I didn’t like to study-Biology Education. I hated my course up until final year second semester. Back then in school, I had this clique of friends; we used to call ourselves, CMS, which is ‘Correct Men Syndrome’ because we were anti-cultism and every sort of negative social vice. Then there was this big show that came up in school – Mr. Campus which was the first of its kind. Even though I was the only non-indigene among the contestants, I won the competition. That was where I discovered my love for modeling. It’s all about the spontaneous reaction you get on stage. I just realised I could make money from this profession, so I couldn’t wait to graduate. The day I finished my last paper, I took a night bus to Lagos.
How did you get into acting?
I knew Lagos was the heart of entertainment in Nigeria and this is where I can make it. Modeling actually got me into acting; I started with the TV series, Tinsel which was my first.
Tinsel was your debut in acting?
Yes it was. I was not even going for the auditions originally.
How did you land the acting job for Tinsel then?
They told me I was going for auditions for a TV commercial for M-net. If they had told me it was for an acting job, I wouldn’t near that place; I would have escaped through the back door. I was doing very well in my modeling career. God blessed me so much that I could fit into both modeling for fashion and for photography. For fashion you have to be at least six feet and I am six feet three. I didn’t believe how big the show was until they called me up after the auditions that I came through for Tinsel. Even for my character Soji in Tinsel, there were auditions for it in Lagos, Port Harcourt, South Africa and I was lucky to be picked for it.
For somebody who had never acted before, how did you feel when it was announced you would be playing that character?
First of all, Kudos to M-net! I respect that brand so much. They saw through what we couldn’t even see. They make you see how you are like the character you play. They also put us through a series of workshops which was more or less like acting school that people pay to learn but we got it for free. This was done in four seasons and at the beginning of each season. It was really fun and I am grateful for the opportunity. At the Tinsel set, you don’t just learn as an actor, you also learn as a film maker. It was indeed a big break for me.
Your name Soji in Tinsel is more or less like your name. How do you separate your real self from your character in Tinsel?
I cannot separate myself because it was a character I and M-net used Voltron force to create. I can only separate it when I do what I call going out of the body. I was shooting the character ‘Soji’ for years. I am even used to the name. If I’m in public and I hear the name Soji, before the real owners of the name turn, I am already turning to answer. They made sure we called ourselves by our character names. Imagine people calling you a name every day from six in the morning till eight in the night for eight years! So it is a name that even when I sleep and I hear Soji I will wake up.
Aside the TV series, you have featured in movies as well. Mention some of them?
I did a short film titled ‘The Wages’ by Waltbanger productions; it won the best short film at the AMVCA last year. I did ‘Shattered Romance’ with Juliet Ibrahim, Bryan Okwara and James Gardiner. Right now I am doing a movie titled ‘Thirties’. For about three weeks now, I have been playing three different roles, one in Tinsel, Thirties and Gbomo Gbomo express.
The latest about your personal life is that you are engaged to Tinsel co-star, Osas Ighodaro. How did you manage to catch such a beautiful damsel?
It was God all the way! In this my case, it is God that personally and spiritually brought her to my radar. When I first saw her, I was not really moved because I remember when Tinsel brought her down to Nigeria. They told us to come over to welcome her but in my usual stubbornness I refused to go. Eventually we met and it was just platonic. We then started off as friends. She was my friend for a very long time.
How long did you date before the engagement?
We dated for about two years
What is it about Osas that made you pick her from other ladies you dated in the past?
Osas is different in every way I can think of. First of all, I have this feeling that if Osas don’t marry me, no other girl can marry me in this whole world.
Are you saying you have never been in a serious relationship before now?
I thought I have been in love but meeting Osas made it feel like I have never been in love before. She was my friend before we started attaching strings. I use to pick and drop her off to her dates; we were that cool before we got personal.
When is the wedding bell ringing?
Are you the ones getting married? How is it your business when we get married? We can decide to just go ahead and get married without inviting anybody. Anyway, you all shouldn’t worry. We don’t want to rush but taking our time with it.
So is it going to be this year?
It can even be tomorrow morning or any time of the year.
Don’t you think you should hurry up before other bigger boys snatch her from you right under your nose?
Other Bigger boys? Well, unfortunately for all of them, it is me she chooses. That is why I said earlier that our union is a spiritual thing; you will not understand the depth.
Describe your style?
My style depicts my mood coupled with my experience as a model in terms of combining clothes but basically it is my mood that dictates my style.
How long have you been wearing your dreadlocks?
I have been wearing it for nine years now. I have been trimming it because I don’t want a length that I cannot manage.
Would you ever wish to take it off one day?
If any brand comes and asks me to take it off and I smile to the bank, I will readily give them the dreads. Even before the dreads, I use to braid my hair. Also, I had this long bears that where so long that I could just tilt my jaw a bit and all the hair will fall into my mouth. I was only nineteen years old then. When I got the character to play at Tinsel, Femi Odugbemi the content guy at M-net asked me how much my bears meant to me and I told him very much, he then asked me to cut it off. It was a hard thing for me to do after growing it for a long time, but when I saw the opportunities the show will offer me in future since M-net was showing in over seventy two countries as at that time, I didn’t hesitate.
Did you experience restrictions from your parents, when you were coming into the entertainment industry?
No. Do you know I have piercings on my body? Funny enough, I got my left ear pierced in front of my parents. I was chatting with my dad when my sister, Joke pierced my ear. My parents are cool. We are disciplined. I don’t think we have ever brought shame to them and they know we will always make them proud. But there are some things they kicked against like tattoos. I was in South Africa and was really thinking of getting a tattoo, and then I got a call from my mum out of the blues warning me against having tattoos. So I don’t have a tattoo on my body just to honour my mum’s wishes. But I can pierce any part of my body. That is my way of calming the adrenalin rush for tattoos.
How do you keep fit?
I love my body a lot so I am addicted to working out.
What is your passion?
I would say love. Love for family, friends, modeling and acting and love for music especially when I want to work out. I love working out a lot and it is more to keep fit than to get muscular.
What are your favourite wrist watches?
Right now I am wearing Aldo watches. I also have a couple of Rolex watches as well. I love all kinds of wrist watches but most of the time I have to fine tune the designs to make it personal.