Popular actor and producer, Opeyemi Aiyeola, was away from the movie scene for a decade after she got married. She later resumed acting in 2017, but while speaking to Saturday Beats, Aiyeola noted that a lot of things had changed in the industry from the time she left in 2007.
Emphasising that success in the industry was determined by talents in those days, she added that climbing the ladder of stardom now has been laced with favoritism.
“Nollywood used to be an industry of talents; unfortunately when I came back, I realised it was no longer a career path of talented people. It is now about social media. It is more about how much money an individual has to spend on publicity and the likes.
“So many people even get undeserved awards these days. Outside the movie set, the industry has become a world of make-believe. For example, everybody expects me to do photo shoots for birthdays and Valentine’s Day and I always wonder what could be the reason behind that. And me, I have responsibilities and children to cater for, so I can’t be doing all that.
“As a Yoruba woman, I try to speak my language to my children, we cook more of Nigerian dishes in the house; I don’t really like foreign delicacies. I really don’t have a favourite meal, I drink a lot of garri and groundnut every day; and I think I am even addicted to it,” she said.
When asked about the effect marriage had on her career, she noted that she left the industry at a time when things were getting better.
“Marriage had a great effect on my career because I left at a time when things were getting better in the industry, in terms of endorsements, and the likes. In my book, there is always a price to pay for everything. It costs some people money and some their career; it is all about sacrifice. Considering my age, when I got married, doing that and having children was more important to me at the time. I won’t crucify or judge anybody for their choices, it is an individual race.
