I CAN’T DATE ANYONE I DON’T KNOW –NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS OMOWUNMI DADA

Nollywood actress and aspiring filmmaker, Omowunmi Dada, was a year older recently but she says that her best is yet to come. With two nominations for the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards, Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Actor, it appears that the thespian is geared towards taking her place in the industry’s hall of fame. She speaks with OVWE MEDEME about her budding career, aspirations and life as an only daughter, among other issues
LOOKING back now, how far would you say you have come?
I think that it has been His grace. I’m not where I used to be but there has been a great movement. There has been growth. I can only be hopeful for better things to come.
What is your next step?
I intend to continue to live better. Basically, for me, it is a new year. I’ve learnt the lessons to be learnt. Life has thrown some challenges to me and I have survived them in the last year. I hope to get better.
Today, most of your colleagues are going into filmmaking. Are you considering toeing that line?
Yes, I definitely do have plans of becoming a filmmaker. People will get to hear all about it when the time comes.
You recently received two BON nominations…
I was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress and for the Most Promising Actor. They are actually my very first award nominations for my career and I’m very excited about it. Most importantly because I look at the list and the names of the people I am nominated alongside. It is such a huge honour to share the same space with people like Liz Benson, Uche Jombo and Iyabo Ojo. These are people we watched growing up and being nominated with them, I feel elated. I’m excited.
What are your hopes for the award?
The fact is that I’m excited that my work is being recognised, people appreciate what I do and there is a movement. I do hope to win the awards because it is an award that is not voters-based. Winners are picked by a jury and I trust their sense of judgement. I believe that whoever takes the plaque is a winner and the others who are also nominated are all winners. So definitely, if I get to win, I’m excited. if I don’t, I’m still excited because winning basically means that you’ve been able to impact people and people recognise your effort in your career path and whatever it is you do. So already, I’m a winner.
As one who has been in the industry for some time, how timely would you say the nominations are?
It’s not too early and it’s not late. There is always a time for everything in life. There is a time to sow; there is a time to reap. There is a time to prepare, there is a time to get ready and there is a time when people would celebrate with you. I think it’s coming at the right time. I trust God, I believe in His plans and I believe in His purpose for me. I believe in whatever it is He does in my life. If this is the time that God has said something like this would come to me, then it is the right time. I got an award previously but it was a honourary award by a school which named me as their creative role model of the year. I was awarded alongside Tunde Kelani and Bolanle Austen-Peters of Terra Kulture.

For the full story, check The Nation newspaper.