Olu Jacobs
For a first time visitor to the home of veteran actor, Olu Jacobs, the impression of luxury extends beyond the tasteful but simple decor. There is a collection of exotic and expensive artworks lining the walls and also tucked in crevices of room dividers.
Located in a quiet and serene residential area of Ajah, Lagos, the Jacobs’ apartment is a testimonial to the minds of its owners— they are lovers of the arts. This, he recalls, dates back to when he was just a little boy.
“I was bitten by the theatre bug in Kano when I was seven years old. I was sent on an errand by my mother and just as I came out of the house, there was a lorry driving past with drummers and musicians inside. The occupants of the lorry distributed leaflets and I took one of them and showed it to my mother. She convinced my father to let me join the troupe after she was sure I had completed all my house chores,” he enthuses of his early foray into the world of arts, theatre and drama.
“The troupe happened to be the Hubert Ogunde travelling theatre and it was on a tour of Kano, where I was born. My first performance with the troupe took place before a large crowd at a colonial hotel called, Obanta Hotel. Ogunde did his theatre in three phases which included dance, drama and music.”
Born Olutodun Baiyewu Jacobs, to parents of Egba Alake descent in Ogun State, Jacobs had his early education in the North before proceeding to England where he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Known to have broken into mainstream theatre with appearances in several British television series, Jacobs reminisces, “The reason why I went overseas was to amass enough experience so that I can come and be of benefit to people. After doing some work in Glasgow, Leicester and other places, I decided that it was time for me to come back home. I started visiting Nigeria in the early 80s. I would spend three months working in Nigeria, then, I would return to England and spend four months.
“One day, I just called my agent in England and told him not to bother me with any job in England unless it was very important. I told him that I had decided to use my talent for my people.”
Though there are challenges, the actor says he has no regrets about relocating to Nigeria.
“There were challenges at the very beginning. Though I had anticipated some of them, some were a bit of a shock to me. I know that there was a time when the profession was estimated very lowly. The prejudice is still there but we are no longer in the minority. People have now realised that drama is a legacy one can build a future on. Those of us who were outcasts previously are now being consulted on issues relating to the profession.”
He is married to screen diva, Joke Jacobs. According to him, he did not think he was going to marry an actress. Recalling their initial encounter, he says, “One day, I was having a meeting at the National Theatre and the door opened and this lady came in. I remember saying to the people who sat with me, ‘this is the lady I am going to marry.’ Of course, we became friends later because we were in the same production. Less than five years later, we were married.”
For him, marrying someone in the same profession has been helpful. “Both of us are able to understand the intricacies of this business as regards our relationship with ourselves,” he says.
With more than a 100 movies and television dramas to his credit, the African Movie Academy Award winning actor would not forget the day he got his first job. To him, that was the happiest day in his career: “It was a Christmas Day and I got my first job in television. I was delighted and I had to work on a Christmas Day. I did not care and I told myself that another Christmas would come.”
Apart from serving as a reminder of his first job, Jacobs notes that Christmas means a lot to him. Hear him: “It is a period to forgive and forget, a season of caring and giving. It is a season to meet and relate with your family. You are able to remember people you have not seen, those you have not done well with and you try to make amends. The phone rings and somebody, you have not seen for three years, is inviting you to lunch. It is a season of fairness.
“In my family, we celebrate Christmas by coming together as a family. We get in touch with other members of the family, no matter where they are. We don’t think only of ourselves, we also think of other people. The season reminds us of the birth of Christ and the fact that God loved us enough to sacrifice his son for us.”
For him also, the year 2013 has not been a bad one. “It has been a good year,” he recalls. “I was able to spend a bit more time with my wife. We were able to take a little break from work and spend more time together. Next year promises a lot more interesting jobs. We have plans on ground and we hope that they will begin to materialise. One never stops; there is a lot of job to do,” he says.
Not done yet, he makes reference to the Theatre Academy which he founded together with his wife, Joke: “The Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts is coming nice and steady. Therefore, we begin to give more and more people the opportunity to improve themselves.”
Known for his impeccable dress sense, Jacobs’s comments on his style: “It is a way of doing things. When you call it style, it is a classy way of doing your own thing. I like classical style. Also, I don’t like what everybody else is doing. I like to do things the way I believe they should be done.”
Asked what he would never be caught wearing and he says chuckling, “I shall never be caught wearing things that I should not be caught wearing. I can’t tell you what they are but I will know them when I see them.”
On the most expensive fashion item in his wardrobe, the thespian, whose best colour is green, opines on the perfect combination which connotes his style. “I don’t have a favourite fashion item. Everything one wears has to be good. At the same time, I cannot put a price on what I have not seen yet that I might see tomorrow. If it is a shirt, cufflink or tie, I don’t know, but when I see it, I will know it. My dressing is determined by my knowledge and love of colours. Whatever I am going to wear has to fit the occasion I am wearing it for.”
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