Akin Lewis devotes such intensity to his performances that his audience has no choice than to follow him. In all his works, he portrays the inner conflicts of the characters and the effect from his roles is mesmerizing. As an actor with no limitations, he speaks many languages and his charisma is boundless. In this interview with BIODUN KUPOLUYI, Lewis, with over 40 years experience as a thespian, who has established a connection to his roles, spoke about his foray into acting, the early days, his marriage and life…
You have spent 40 years on stage, how do you feel about this?
I just feel wow…it's an awfully long time. I never thought I will last this long on stage; it never crossed my mind. When I look back at things I've been opportuned to do on radio, TV, and films, I just shake my head, and thank God I was able to make it thus far.
How did all this start with you?
It actually started for me when my father, an engineer, used to buy me comic books and magazines. I thought he wanted me to be an artist, but he actually just wanted to broaden my vista. By the time I finished secondary school, I knew exactly what I was going to become.
And that took you to WNTV?
Oh yes, WNTV Ibadan! It also took me to the University of Ibadan and University of Ife. It took me to Europe, and I ended up having a Masters in Acting and Directing, and here I am today, still working.
Are you fulfilled to still be in the industry at forty?
Everything I set my mind to do in life, I have done, but I still want to do more. Like I said, I'm still gunning for perfection. So far, I'm content, but I still want to do more.
Many of us knew you in the sitcom, “Why Worry,” which was before you travelled out of the country, and we thought that'd be all; how did you revive your career?
That was my starting point; it was the program that made me a star, and I was very young then. I became a star at about 24. I knew I was going to be a lot more than that because we just came out of the university, and those were the days that we were working. My colleague and I were working with both the Yoruba and English theater groups on television also. We were producing and directing the Baba Salas, Baba Mayros, Awada Kerikeri with Ademade and all of that, so I knew it wasn't going to be the last thing for me, it was just the beginning.
What if you're asked to come back with “Why Worry,” especially now concerning the issues that were been looked into at that particular time at the barber shop?
Those issues are still here, really; they are very salient. “Why Worry” sold then, I don't know if it will sell now. If we will have to do it again now, we must expand it and have a section that will cater for the youths of today.
You went to Bulgaria to hone your skills, what was the experience like there?
It was tough, just like getting into the army. I thought it was tough at the University of Ife, but getting there, it was a different ball-game. You know communism was at its height then, so it was a regimented life. There was nothing you could do about it unless you wanted to fight the system. I remember that in university, we had to sign attendance registers every day. I also remember that we didn't use to have written exams like here in Nigeria; over there, it was oral. There will be a panel and you will say what you know. I was glad to come out of that place very well, because I had a first class coming out.
In Acting and Directing?
Yes.
When you came back, WNTV had changed to NTA and some of your colleagues had left, how did you deal with that?
Yes, that's true. I was one of the first to realise that things were changing, so what I did was to move. That was how I came to Lagos; still, there wasn't enough money in entertainment to keep the family going, so I sat down and decided that I needed surplus income. I thereafter opened another line of business by going into Marketing Management; I worked with companies like CMC, STB McCann and others. I worked in Omega Bank then, and I was on the team that changed the name from Owena to Omega. I also worked with Mike in Globacom; it's been great anyway I made my surplus income.
Madam Dearest was another block buster in your career, how did you get into that project?
I just got back from Europe with my family then. Tade heard that I was in town, so he told me about the story which he had for like twenty years, but had not been able to find somebody able to interpret it. When we wrapped up that production, we both knew it was a success. That is the project that made me known to this generation; “Why Worry” is for an older generation.
Your co-star was Opeyemi Aiyeola, how will you describe her?
I'm saying this with all due respect to my colleagues in the Yoruba sector of Nollywood. Most actors at that time were very lackadaisical. All of a sudden, there came this Akin Louis that some of them didn't even know who just came in and was trying to do things differently. When I came in, it was business for me; I wasn't messing around, so when they saw the level of acting that I brought in, they sat up, and in fact helped the production. As forOpeyemi, I think for the first time, she also realized that wow, one can take this higher because that was the only way she could stay with me because I took her to such a high realm, and she had to stay with me. I think that was also a defining stage for her, even for the other men who were with me.
Like Yemi Sholade?
Yes, Yemi Sholade, Saheed Balogun etc. They're all great guys o, but when they saw the level that we were operating in, they also took the challenge and hey, it turned out great.
You have not been involved in such project in recent times, what really do you think is wrong?
I have been doing stuff, but it's just that I'm a quiet person. I just love to do my job; go back home and relax. I've done some projects that are truly magnificent like “Alantakun.” I also did another movie, “Red Hot” with Bukky Wright and Bimbo Manuel. I also did “Mind Bending” on TV with Fani Kayode.
How did you get on the set of Tinsel?
We had an audition seven years ago. I remember that Victor Olaotan and I were shortlisted to play Fred.
Oh! Really?
Yes. We are friends, but the South Africans preferred him because he has this grandfatherly look. That's how he got the role and I got the role of Wale, his Chief Finance Officer. That's how we started; and I was with them for at least five seasons. There was a time when I felt my role was underrating me, and I didn't like it. I spoke to the producers, and when they didn't do anything about it, I was like, okay, that's it, I'm out, because I felt I was at a place in my career where exposure is very critical. It doesn't even matter how much you give me; it's about the kind of exposure I'm I getting; you know that's very important. I'm doing a lot of things beyond Tinsel anyway. Again, my contract was very flexible so I was able to leave.
Do you think that there is a kind of shift towards younger actors for the series?
Yes.
Would that actually take the lead characters out of the picture?
One may get that feeling. There are even a couple of episodes that the youths kind of take over. Well, I don't know how they want to do it. When Tinsel started, it was a mixture of the young and old, and it was very successful, so I don't know which area the management is looking at, but a combination of the two will still sell; Nigeria is all about the young and the old.
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