My father Jide Kosoko influenced me into acting-Sola Kosoko Abina

'I can’t do without my husband'

Sola Kosoko Abina, an actress, is the daughter of Jide Kosoko a renowned actor. She was born and bred in Lagos and  had her primary and secondary education in Lagos state. She proceeded to a computer school where she  had a basic and advanced certificate in computer studies. Before gaining admission into  Olabisi Onabanjo University,  to study Labour and Industrial Relation. There after she had a BSC in Sociology, in the same university. Sola who produced a movie titled Shindara which was released in 2011 reveiled how she grew up without her mum, her lifestyle and her marriage.

What is the movie  Shindara all about?

Shindara is about a couple who happen to be in the same profession and it gets to a point with time in their lives there was a conflict between their home and their profession. This movie teaches that no matter how educated you are as a woman, you still have to be submissive to your husband. This couple are in the same profession.

From you movie that teaches submissive, do you practice what you preach? Are you submissive to your husband?

The truth is, I don’t regard myself as a bad person, I’m a good person. But no matter how good you are you are human. I may have my own short comings, some of my habits and weaknesses and  it is not for anyone to judge me.

What are some of your habits and weaknesses?

I don’t think I have any weakness. I’m happy the way God created me. The only habit I want desperately want to stop is sleeping late. I sleep like three am or four am. Sometimes, when people are waking up and getting up from bed, that is when I want to go to bed and sleep. And that makes me to wake up late. I may be awake and watch movies and then sleep late.

When did you discover yourself as an actor?

I have been an actor since I was very young. I started when I was barely seven years old. But I won’t call that professional acting. I was in primary school when I featured in a celluloid movie title Omoruko. I featured as small Teju Ogunmola in the movie. But I actually didn’t want to become an actor because the fact that my daddy is an actor made me asked myself if I must join him in the acting world. What would I be doing there. Why not go and do something else like becoming a lawyer, or study mass communication in the university. But because I have been acting before I gained admission into university made me begin to develop soft spot for acting and my dad also helped me develop passion for acting. He came home one day and called me Sola, there is this role I want you to play. I said wow, I can’t I’m sorry. You have a lot of people out there who can do it. I looked for one of the ladies that have my kind of stature, presented her to him and told him she can do it. He said no, that I must do it. And that was final. So, I did it and it came out well. And after that first job, roles started flowing in. It was my father that influenced me into acting.

What was the movie that brought you to the limelight?

I have done like three or four movies. The very first one I stared in was Okorose which was shot in 2000 but  Olorire which was shot in 2001and that  was the one that brought me out. It was shot by my dad. I later did some other ones that solidified my stay in the acting world. I also featured in Obakeye, Ori, Obasekele, Street Girls Fathia Balogun’s movie, Orisola, Aimoko and many others.

As a movie producer, what really inspires your movies?

First of and foremost whenever I want to producer a movie I don’t bear morals in mind. What I bear in mind mostly is entertainment. This is most important, the entertainment aspect of a movie. You don’t do movies not only to pass messages or to teach people. The basic thing is entertainment. Look at comedy films for instance, sometimes, what would you really gain from comedy movies. It is the entertaining aspect of it that comes first before talking about morals.

Now that you are happily married since two years ago, how do you relate with your colleagues especially single ones?

Well, the truth is nothing has changed, nothing has ever changed. I still relate with my colleagues the way I have always been relating with them. Nothing honestly has changed. I have a very understanding husband. Who takes me to events at times. I have my own car but he brought me to this Iyabo Ojo’s party and told me that he would pick me up as soon as I’m ready. My marriage has not changed anything. It has not changed my relationship with my colleagues. The guy who married me knows that acting is my job. And we have been together for some time, at least for some years before I got married. So, he is used to what we do. My husband is also a celebrity, he knows almost all my friends and they all call him our husband.

Does he frown at you dressing in some certain ways now that you are his wife?

Even before I got married, my dressing has always been decent. I don’t expose my body or flaunt any part that ought to be private in the name of fashion. I’m always myself when it comes to fashion and dress sense. I don’t follow vogue sheepishly. I don’t pretend to be who I’m not. But the truth is if it something from the inside once it is not in you, you can’t start it suddenly. What I’m invariably saying is that if nudity is not in you, you can’t just start it suddenly. For instance, if you see an arrogant person, the person must have been arrogant from childhood. So talking about flaunting, it must not be nudity. I flaunt my beauty, my stature and my profession.

Now that you are married, are there some roles you wouldn’t accept?

Honestly, before I got married, producers already know there are some roles I won’t accept no matter the amount at stake. But the truth is that as a good actor, you need to be versatile. I don’t pick roles or reject roles because I don’t know how to deliver them but definitely, when you are talking about roles, you don’t tell me to go nude but I can act romance roles and kiss.

Won’t your hubby frown at that?

Well, you know men now, sometimes he may feel that this is a bit too much but I do try to tell him that see guy, I have to do my job and the way I would explain to him will make him understand me. I won’t impose it on him neither would I shout on him while explaining. I try to explain to him that if I don’t do it, someone else would do it. And there are ways I can convince my fans out there that I can also do this forget about the fact that I’m married, I have to do my job.

Is he jealous?

My husband? Well, let me tell you all men are jealous. But when my fans start clamouring all over me, start greeting me and start waving at me, that doesn’t make him jealous. But let me keep quite because if I start praising my husband people would say what else do you expect from her. But the truth of the matter is that my husband is decent. He is not arrogant and he is handsome. He will soon be here, you will see my husband. Sometimes he tells me are you not lucky to have me? I also do tell him that are you not lucky to have a celebrity and a pretty lady like me as a wife? We are both proud of each other.

What pet name does he call you?

He calls me honey and most times I call him his name but not the name people call him. His name is Waheed but I call him Biodun the name his mum calls him.

What is that something you can’t do without?

It is my husband. He is the only man/thing I can’t do without. I can’t do without him honestly. He is my world. I have all the peace in this world with him. I might not be very rich but I’m very comfortable. And the most important thing is happiness. Once you are happy, there is this drive in you that makes you always achieve whatever you really want to achieve. Once you have happiness in your marriage, that to me is the most important thing a woman should crave for in a marriage. And with joy or happiness in your home, you would be able to achieve whatever you are hoping for. A woman who is not happy at home will not be happy at work.

You are joyful in your marriage while some other ones maybe your colleagues their marriage is like hell on earth, how does that make you feel?

I feel bad about this. Some times on my own I used to count the number of my colleagues that are married and I’m happy about them. But when I see those whose marriage has crashed, I feel bad definitely. One thing ladies should know is that marriage is deeper than marrying a man just because he is handsome, speaks flawless English and he has a clean car. You don’t only concentrate on his good job, his good car and agree to marry him without first knowing who he is. When I met my guy, he didn’t have a bicycle. I have known him as far back as some 13 years ago. I was still very young, he was in his final year in the university. Then I wasn’t even thinking of having any boyfriend until I gained admission into the university. So, I didn’t agree to date him. I gained admission, I finished my diploma. I really gave him a tough time because that is when you get to know who truly loves you. Sometimes then he would not hear from me for like two or three months. And he would still come to my school and I would tell him that I wasn’t ready to go out with him, that he was just wasting his time. It was when I finished my diploma, I now looked at him and said to myself that this was a wonderful guy. He had been so patient. And that patience is still in him till date. And since we met, we were determined to start a family. So, we got married some two years back and we are still very much together as if I met him just yesterday. I don’t have any child for him yet but I we hope to have four children.

Can you give him four children?

Hey, yes, I will. If God should give me twins two times, that is any easy way to have four children. Maybe two boys and two girls, and I’m done (giggles). I’m ready for motherhood. Once a lady gets married, you start thinking of that.

Some actors carry stardom into their matrimony, are you like that?

No, I’m submissive to my husband because I have the right man who appreciates me for who I am. If you don’t have the right man, he may pick on little thing about you and begin to deal with you. There is no room to show stardom in my matrimonial home. Reason being that I met my husband before I became a star. He knows the real me before I became a star. He knows the beginning, he knows the foundation. I have met my husband before I did a movie that shot me to the limelight.

Those of them that are about to get married, reach out to them?

Marriage is all about tolerance. Nobody is perfect. It is true that my hubby is good but the truth is that he has his short coming like every other person. I too, I have my own short coming. So, if you want to remain in marriage, tolerate you husband. You two should learn to tolerate each other. He would be able to correct you and you would be able to correct him with love. And with prayer, you will overcome all odds.

Say something about your dad?

My daddy is my first role model, my mentor. He is a lovely father. If I’m coming again to this world, I would still choose him to be my father.

How was growing up without your mum?

When I was in school, I used to see some mothers coming to visit their daughters and they would bring food items to their daughters. Not that I lacked those food stuff but sometimes I would miss the presence of a mother, the love of a mother and would wish she was alive to do some things for me. Check on me in school and all that. But thank God for my dad, he was in my school some couple of times to check on me. He was playing the role of a father and mother at the same time.