" I had to slap my father in a movie role and also had to do it well without any inhibitions,” -Femi Adebayo

In a recent chat with seasoned journalist, Jayne Augoye, popular Yoruba actor Femi Adebayo talked about his career and family!

Femi Adebayo’s career  took a totally different dimension in 2011 when he produced a comedy flick entitled Jelili.

The film centered around the very hilarious travails of five ‘village’ guys who pretended to be ladies in order to vie for a catchy prize they couldn’t resist in a beauty pageant.

Speaking on the success of the movie, he said “I knew people were going to like the movie, but not to the extent it got it. But so many of my colleagues never knew I could do such a movie so they seriously waited to criticize my performance but to God be the glory,  they were disappointed.”

“I played the role of Jelili in my movie because I wanted fans to know how versatile I am and that there is absolutely no role I cannot interpret.

 A trained lawyer, Adebayo, who also bagged a Masters degree in Law, succumbed to the trappings of super-stardom to pursue a career in the Nigerian movie industry.

The fame and goodwill notwithstanding, Adebayo still nurses a silent ambition to practice law later.

 “Litigation is going nowhere.  I see my time in entertainment as God’s calling, so I have to heed to the call. I would definitely go back to law at the end of the day,” he notes.

 At some point in his career, Adebayo has been faced with very intriguing situations where he has to star alongside his father in several movies.  So, what happens when a script requires him to either slap or beat up his father?

“Work is different from family. On the field, we are totally different. We drop being family when we are at work. This is because I see him as a senior colleague (My oga at the top), and whatever we are supposed  to do on set, we do it, and that’s theatre. I once had scenes that I acted as an armed robber and went to rob my father, and I had to slap him and also had to do it well without any inhibitions,” he says,  laughing.

Ever the thorough father that he is, Adebayo says his dad would scold him if he fails to interpret the role accordingly.

 “If I don’t play the role well, he (my father) will get upset and tell me to slap him well, saying, ‘It is your work’.”

He also debunks rumors that he was quitting acting to go into politics. “Acting came naturally to me. And I am grateful to God for that and that story is not true at all. I am yet to announce whether or not I am going into politics.  If I decide to go it will not be a secret. So people should wait for that time – though I believe voice of the people is the voice of God.”