Mustapha Sholagbade is not a new name in the Nigerian movie industry with several movies to his credit. The dark skinned and handsome actor made his name featuring in films with Yoruba as a major language. Sholagbade reveals how he went from being an apprentice in a tailoring shop to becoming an actor.
HOW would you describe your journey into Nollywood?
I will say it’s the Grace of God because I never thought of being an actor but thank God I discovered myself on time. My parents wanted me to become an apprentice at some point so they took me to a fashion designing place and nursing as well but I couldn’t cope and one day, I came home and told my mom I wanted to start acting, she was like are you ok? She insisted we wait for my dad to return so we can tender it to him. When my dad came, he took it up and that was how everything started.
Thanks to Alhaji Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo) who gave me the opportunity to become all I am today because my parents actually took me to him to practise theatre art from Odunfa Caucus. I learnt from the likes of Yinka Quadri, Abbey Lanre, Sunny Alli, Alesh Onilegbele, Lekan Oropo and Dele Ogundipe to mention a few, they are all my bosses. I think it is just God’s plan for me to be an actor because I was only in SS2 when I told my parents about my dream to act and they accepted immediately. You know they wanted me to be busy with something after school which was why they took me to a fashion designing school but I wasn’t interested in it, although I was already good at sewing clothes, I only had challenges in cutting materials. I used to go to the shop after school everyday to learn tailoring until I made that decision.
What has been your biggest challenge as an actor?
A lot of things like the industry stress as a whole but thank God for persistence. It hasn’t been easy at all from the start to get to where I am today so I return all the glory to Almighty God. I see the challenges as a stepping stone so I don’t complain about it. I simply call on God when I am depressed, trust me, depression is real.
