By Joy Ehonwa.
One of the few Nigerian actresses who simply go by a mononym, she has graced our screens for 16 years. Fans were first introduced to the then 18-year old Omotola’s talent and charm when she featured in her first movie, Venom of Justice, in 1995. However it was her lead role as Kemi in Chico Ejiro’s 1996 sickle cell anaemia movie, Mortal Inheritance, that forever endeared Omotola to her fans.
Since then, she has increasingly cemented her status as a skilled and versatile actress, having played practically everything, from commercial sex worker, jailbird, and lonely housewife, to village-bred wannabe, girl next door and evil mother-in-law. She has even stunned fans with a jaw-dropping depiction of a pair of identical twins, one wild, brazen and hardened, the other shy, responsible and warm.
At 34, the entertainer shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed, the year 2012 has turned out to be one of her best ever. In fact, judging by her busy calendar and box-office success, no other actress has had it as good as she has in 2012.
This year alone, she has starred in 5 big budget movies, most notably Obi Emelonye’s
Last Flight to Abuja, the premiere of which remains the biggest premiere of any movie to date, with six packed halls.
Her other 2012 movies include
Ties That Bind, alongside Hollywood’s Kimberley Elise and Ghana’s Kofi Adjorlolo, and Christian Ashaiku’s
Amina, with British actor, Wil Johnson, and Vincent Regan. In addition, Omotola played the lead roles in Tarila Thompson’s high budget movie,
Up Creek and Teco Benson’s
Blood on the Lagoon, both of which are still in post production.
This year also, her contribution to the film industry was recognised by the Black Entertainment Film, Fashion, Television and Arts, who honoured her with a 2012 BEFFTA Film Icon Award. She is the first African ever to receive this award, and it is one she richly deserves.
Not many celebrities would be confident and secure enough to let fans and critics alike see what their everyday lives look like. Yet, this is exactly what Omotola intends to do with her reality show,
The Real Me, which was shot in various locations in Lagos, Ghana, London, Miami and Jamaica. The show which debuts December 6
th 2012 will give viewers more than just a glimpse into the star’s daily life, which includes working, taking care of her home, and caring for her husband, Captain Matthew Ekeinde and their four children, Meraiah, Princess, Michael and M.J.
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This article was first published on 1st December 2012 and updated on December 18th, 2012 at 11:58 am
Comments (1)
One of the few Nigerian actresses who simply go by a mononym, she has graced our screens for 16 years. Fans were first introduced to the then 18-year old Omotola’s talent and charm when she featured in her first movie, Venom of Justice, in 1995. However it was her lead role as Kemi in Chico Ejiro’s 1996 sickle cell anaemia movie, Mortal Inheritance, that forever endeared Omotola to her fans.
Since then, she has increasingly cemented her status as a skilled and versatile actress, having played practically everything, from commercial sex worker, jailbird, and lonely housewife, to village-bred wannabe, girl next door and evil mother-in-law. She has even stunned fans with a jaw-dropping depiction of a pair of identical twins, one wild, brazen and hardened, the other shy, responsible and warm.
At 34, the entertainer shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed, the year 2012 has turned out to be one of her best ever. In fact, judging by her busy calendar and box-office success, no other actress has had it as good as she has in 2012.
This year alone, she has starred in 5 big budget movies, most notably Obi Emelonye’s Last Flight to Abuja, the premiere of which remains the biggest premiere of any movie to date, with six packed halls.
Her other 2012 movies include Ties That Bind, alongside Hollywood’s Kimberley Elise and Ghana’s Kofi Adjorlolo, and Christian Ashaiku’s Amina, with British actor, Wil Johnson, and Vincent Regan. In addition, Omotola played the lead roles in Tarila Thompson’s high budget movie, Up Creek and Teco Benson’s Blood on the Lagoon, both of which are still in post production.
This year also, her contribution to the film industry was recognised by the Black Entertainment Film, Fashion, Television and Arts, who honoured her with a 2012 BEFFTA Film Icon Award. She is the first African ever to receive this award, and it is one she richly deserves.
Not many celebrities would be confident and secure enough to let fans and critics alike see what their everyday lives look like. Yet, this is exactly what Omotola intends to do with her reality show, The Real Me, which was shot in various locations in Lagos, Ghana, London, Miami and Jamaica. The show which debuts December 6th 2012 will give viewers more than just a glimpse into the star’s daily life, which includes working, taking care of her home, and caring for her husband, Captain Matthew Ekeinde and their four children, Meraiah, Princess, Michael and M.J.
It’s a great article
Enjoyed reading it!