Demola Adedoyin studied Film Directing at the Central Film School, London. The budding musician who goes by the stage name Kamilion plays Prince Aderopo in Kunle Afolayan’s blockbuster October 1.
ACTING JOURNEY
I started around 2008, an agent who was helping me get modelling jobs while I was doing my masters course in the UK suggested me to someone who was shooting a short film about racism. It was something I didn’t expect and had to wait in line for a while to get in. But as soon as I was done, they asked me if I’d be available on certain dates. It started from there.
LANDING OCTOBER 1 ROLE
I had been talking to industry leaders I had access to about film production, and had been sending Kunle my short videos over the years for his critique. One day he called me and asked me to come to his office for a reading of the script. I was basically shocked by the high quality of the writing. Here I was reading a Nigerian script with themes that had global importance and hopeful as well as tragic tones. I was laughing and frowning all the way through it, and I knew from the way it affected me that I was going to get involved head first.
PLAYING A PRINCE
It was interesting. Very educational in the sense that I didn’t know African royalty were that well protected in their kingdoms. The same protectiveness that ensures physical safety but eliminates privacy is there.
SPEAKING YORUBA
I speak Yoruba fluently. I’ve a pretty good aptitude for languages in general.
PRINCE ADEROPO
He is quite complex. It involved exerting a wide range of emotions to communicate the depth of one person. Including the times when the character himself is supposed to be hiding what he’s feeling even from the audience.
FAVOURITE LINE
“Mark my words, in less than 7 years this country will be at war!”
FAVOURITE SCENE
My favourite scene was the final one which answers questions from the plot but creates new questions about life and our country Nigeria for you to take home with you.
OCTOBER 1 VIEWING
Apart from the fact that the story, acting, production and directing are of such high quality, people should see it to experience what is possible as a Nigerian milestone in filmmaking. So far I’ve perceived a better response than I ever imagined. Being part of a project can colour your perception of it but seeing its effects on people with no bias can really give perspective on the effect our work is having. People overwhelmingly approve of the film.
FUTURE PROJECTS
I’m still in negotiation for my next two projects. But there will be 1 more film project and a music project before the end of this year.
IN THREE WORDS…
Loving the process.
INTERVIEW: OLUWAYOMI OLUSHOLA
This interview was first published in the October 2014 edition of Nolly Silver Screen (Issue 09).
For articles, interviews, pictures and much more, read the October 2014 edition of Nolly Silver Screen (Issue 09) here.
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