After a brief absence from the movie scene, Bimbo Oshin-Ibironke is making a grand comeback, especially considering her role in the movie Igboya, which made waves recently. The actress, in this interview talks about her marriage of 11years, her acting career and other issues.
WHAT are you working on currently?
I am working on a new project and I am also studying now. The script is not ready though.You took a break from the scene for a very long time. What was your reason?I was pregnant and I had to go and have my baby, and take care of him. I had to take a break to devote time to my family at that time. I came back in 2008 to release my movie Temi Yemi.
But your fans didn’t get to see you on screen again, until late last year.
That is true, but I won’t say that was when I came back. I would just say I became more frequent in movies that year. People kept saying that they have not been seeing me in movies, so I said to myself, let me work round the clock this time and let people get tired of seeing me. They are not tired of seeing my face though. (Laughs)
Who are the people you intend working with on this new project?
I will tell you that later. I don’t do my casting alone. I have people whom I consult and work with when casting for my movie.
Why did you have to relocate to Ibadan?
Really, where I am now is peaceful. It is not as if where I was before was not peaceful, but sometimes you just need change of environment. Also, my husband works here.
Now that you mention it, it is assumed that both of you are no longer together. How true is that?
I hear and read a lot of stories too. Sometimes I begin to wonder where they got the information they are writing about from. I have always been with my husband. We have never been separated.
But all the while, you didn’t come out to deny the stories.
As a journalist, aren’t you supposed to do your findings well before writing your stories? Here in Nigeria, things don’t work the way they do abroad. There you can sue people for writing false stories. So whenever I see one, I just sigh and say ‘they have come again o’.
It is widely believed that celebrity marriages do not last. What is going on with yours?
Whatever happens in our own industry happens everywhere. Why ours is different is because we are in the public eye. We are all humans and lots of things happen to us.
For how long have you been married?
We have been together for 11 years now.
What is the challenge that has come with both of you being popular?
(Laughs) What can I say are the challenges? He understands the business and knows what I am doing. On my part, as a wife, I tend to know when to draw the line. I know when to take a break to stay at home and work. But all glory be to God, nobody is perfect.
So how would you describe your marriage?
Fantastic! But every marriage has its challenges.
You had your baby in 2004, when are we expecting another?
Very soon, and I will invite you.
When did you decide to start producing your own movies?
I can’t remember the year, but it was not immediately I entered the industry. I worked for some years before delving into production. I saw that the time was right when I had this story Eji Owuro. I always want to do movies that people will learn from. I like family-oriented movies where everyone can sit down and watch; movies that you can keep watching over the years and still learn from it. I love movies that treat marital issues.
So far, how many movies do you have to your credit?
Eji Owuro was my first movie while Owu Iya was second. After that, I did Temi Ye Mi, Oko Taye and Igboya.
Having been in the industry for so long, why just six movies?
It is just a thing of choice. That is how I want my things done and that is the way they want theirs to be done.
How do you source funds for your movies?
My husband helps out and I produce for my marketers too.
You have added weight, unlike the Bimbo we used to know. Any plans to go back to your former physique?
(Laughs) I am an African woman now. And I have to change after giving birth. But I am working on it. I am a bit trim now.
What year did you start acting?
I started acting in 1996, and since then I have been doing it. I was introduced into acting by a friend, Ronke. I give God the glory.
But what made you decide that you wanted acting as a career?
When I was younger, my brother and I used to get a tape recorder and do drama sketches. We used to do that in the house. From doing that, the passion for acting grew. I was in school one day when a friend of mine came to my room and said she met Araosan and that he was doing audition. I said I wanted to go too. I thought to myself that it was not a bad idea. Out of curiosity, I followed her. We had the audition and from there I started going for rehearsals just to brush up.
Tell us about your background
My name is Bimbola Oshin-Ibironke, born over 30 years ago in Ondo town, Ondo State, into a wonderful family of eight. I’m second to the last child of the late Pa Olasanmi Theophilus Oshin and Madam Oshin. Growing up was quite interesting. I left Ondo when I was six years old to live in Ife and Lagos. I went to staff school in Ile Ife for my elementary school, then Girls Academy in Lagos, and proceeded to University of Lagos to study Philosophy.
Having studied Philosophy, how did you delve into acting?
Philosophy as a course of study is all about life and what I am doing is all about life. It is interwoven. I think my going into acting is the work of destiny. As a young girl, I had been disposed to acting a great deal even when I did not know it could take me this far or become a means of livelihood. I remember my brother and I used to do a bit of it at home then and when in later years, I got introduced to its main stream, it was just a perfecting grace for me. I love acting and it comes naturally to me.
How did you meet your husband?
I met him on the Island in Lagos, at Ikoyi to be precise. We dated for three years before we agreed to settle down. Yes, we dated for a while, saw the qualities in each other and we decided to get married.
What movie would you say brought you to limelight?
Akobi, a film I did sometime in 1997. It was after this that I started falling in love with the profession. After Akobi, other people called me for jobs and that was how I decided to start off.
Why did you settle for Yoruba movies?
At the beginning, I was not into Yoruba movies alone. Though when I started, I was introduced to the Yoruba movies, but I also did some soaps with Wale Adenuga and Tunji Bamishigbin. I did about three or four movies as well. For now though, the Yoruba genre is where I am.
Do you relate with the other stars in the English sector?
I have quite a number of them as friends like Ernest Obi, Chico Ejiro and some others.
Who are those you feel you can act alongside?
As an actress I can work with anybody.
Who is your best friend?
My husband.
Who is Bimbo Oshin?
I am a very respectful person, easy going and simple.What are some of those things you would attribute the success of your marriage to?God, my husband, being a good wife and then my mother-in- law. She is absolutely fantastic.
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