Beautiful Nollywood actress, filmmaker and mother of one, Lizzy Anjorin has revealed some few things you do not know about her
You made a recent declaration that you never converted to Islam. Why do you think the rumours came up in the first place?
I guess it was because I travelled to Hajj; people never knew I was
a practicing Muslim before then. I’m a very private person and most
people don’t know anything about me. I live a very low-key life and I
don’t blab or brag, so a lot of people that think they know don’t
actually have a clue where I’m coming from or even where I’m heading.
I have a picture from 17 to 20 years ago that proves that I’ve
always been a Muslim, and even a more recent one taken about 6 years
ago. I love Islam. I love the way we worship God, because you can easily
worship your God under your roof without anybody laying hands on your
head, and it’s not compulsory for you to gather somewhere early in the
morning to worship. You can always do that in the comfort of your house.
And as a Muslim, you can easily pay your tithe anywhere and not
compulsorily to your pastor or imam. I love Christians though and I
don’t have anything against them or their faith. I don’t judge people
and I don’t judge any religion either.
Actress, Liz Anjorin
So can you marry a Christian?…
Why not? Of course, I can. As long as he doesn’t have any issues
with me and my religion, I don’t think I can have any problems about his
faith. Whether you’re a Muslim or a Christian, we’re all serving one
God. The problem with most people in these parts of the world is that we
always love to speak for God and nobody can take God’s place. His ways
are far from ours and we can never comprehend him. I have nothing
against any religion, and I can marry from any tribe too. It doesn’t
matter if he’s Ibo, Hausa, Fulani, Chinese, White, Black or whatever. As
long as he’s a good man and my heart feels right about him, I can marry
anybody.
According to reports, you once said you can never marry a poor man. How true is that in light of what you just said now?
I have never said any such thing at any point in time ever! If you
actually go through the transcript of the reported interview, you will
discover that I actually never said anything like that. What I did say
was that being poor has nothing to do with what’s in your bank account,
and it also doesn’t determine a person’s worth. For instance, there are a
lot of rich people who are not smart or intelligent, aren’t there? What
I said was that wisdom does not necessarily translate into riches or
wealth.
So you were quoted out of context?
Yes, I was quoted out of context completely, and I guess that was
just in a bid to craft an attractive headline for their stuff, which is
something that shouldn’t be. But really; a man who is jobless and is
living off women, isn’t such a man very poor? I really don’t know why a
lot of people choose to write all manner of rubbish about me. A lot of
actors and entertainers have cliques and groups they roll with, but I’ve
never had one. I can roll with anybody regardless of their social or
economic status. I move with people who seemingly don’t have anything in
their bank accounts presently, but their age, maturity and wisdom is a
lot more beneficial to me. Life is all about learning. My good friends
are people that are way older than I am….
What do you miss most about your mum, and how do you think
she would have impacted your life if she were alive now that you’re more
successful and affluent?
She was a wonderful mum who made me realize that every action in
life has its consequences. She taught me so much in her life, and her
teachings, perspective and doctrines have helped keep me firm and steady
even after her death. My mum taught me that your family aren’t only the
people related to you but everyone you meet and can impact or impacts
you in life. This has always been my philosophy in dealing with people
around me. She’s made me realise that everyone in life can be helpful
one way or the other if you just engage and don’t look down on them. She
was also a very tough mother; I wouldn’t have been able to stand on my
own now if she hadn’t been the way she was. Her teachings and the grace
of Allah have kept me upright so far.
You are rumoured to live way above your income presently. How true is this?…Well,
that has to be the assertion of people who don’t know, because those
close to me know that I work like a broke girl. What I fear most in my
life is poverty. It scares me even more than death. So, I work like my
life depends on it. Even when I’m on location, you can hardly see me
lounging. I run my business alongside anything I’m doing, because all
the profit that accrues from the business is always re-invested into my
film projects. This is why my films are always unique and of better
quality in every way. Nobody really cares about how I live, but there
are a few journalists who know me and can attest to the way I live.
I run a fashion line and I actually deliver my goods to clients
across Lagos personally, even overnight. I’m into so many things; I can
do business as long as it’s legit and can fetch me money no matter how
small it may seem. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something people
classify as posh. I can do anything. I can wash clothes, cars; I can do
anything that brings in money legitimately because I’m a very hard
worker. I invest quality time in building my business rather than going
for parties around because that will actually cost you money and not add
any financial value to you eventually. I think like an entrepreneur
always; the money most people spend on parties can actually build houses
in some parts of town.
People close to me call me ‘Iya Alaje’ because I don’t spend
lavishly. I only buy what I need and at the right time. A lot of people
who say things about me don’t know anything about me actually. When I
was living in Ogba, a lot of my colleagues were living on the Island or
in G.R.A in Ikeja, but I don’t ever compare myself with anyone. When it
was my time to move to Lekki, I did. People don’t seem to see you when
you’re struggling. I used to take my goods – clothes and wine – to the
Island from Ogba, and sometimes I would be driving back in the early
hours of the day. Or is it when I have to drive as far as Cotonou
sometimes to get some goods? Nobody cares about you when you’re
struggling, but people will always say all manner of things when you’re
doing well.
So, would you say that you’re rich enough to afford the kind of life you live right now?…
I’m not an artiste that goes from one location to the other; you
hardly see me in posters because I pay a lot of attention to my
business. That’s why my movies are always impactful when they do come
out. I’m a pacesetter. I don’t ever copy people. They may criticise me
initially, but people end up coming back to copy me eventually. I was
one of the first Yoruba actors to start a fashion line. I opened my shop
at Abule Egba and was criticized a lot because they said the area was
local. People called me ‘classless’ and all manner of names. A colleague
even called it a kiosk, yet it was a business that cost millions of
Naira to set up. I didn’t care about what they were saying, and later on
the business moved to Ogba.
The same colleagues criticising me then have all rushed to open
fashion lines too now, but everything about me remains unique. Some of
them sit back in their shops, but I deliver my goods to my customers.
When it’s time for my business, I leave my pride at home. If it’s a red
carpet event, then I may turn on my superstar mode again. If you form
superstar with your customers, you’ll lose them all eventually. I’m
still growing and I trust almighty Allah to continue to sustain me. I
believe you can only classify yourself as a successful woman if three
criteria are met: when you work for a life, you have a good family, and
all your children become successful too. Achieving stardom is not
success to me, but a challenge. That’s why, in spite of all I’ve
achieved, I still work hard like I’m just a labourer. How many young
people these days can swallow their pride, ignore all the jibs and
insults from people, and fully pursue their businesses diligently like
this. I don’t drink or smoke and the only way I enjoy my life is by
selling my goods and growing my business.
Your film, Kofo the 1st Lady is quite remarkable. How was it for
you, entering into that role? What were the challenges you faced, and
did you understudy anyone with such disability before starting that
project?…
Honestly, I have never seen or been with any physically challenged
person before in my life. The only people with disabilities I see are
the blind, deaf and others we all see around. I’ve never had an
encounter with any retarded person of that nature before. The thing
about me is; I’m a very playful person. I was having fun with my
daughter like we normally do, and I told her she could change her dance
moves if she ever enters a dance competition. I started mimicking a
retarded person and everybody loved it. My manager then suggested that I
write something in that line because it was very funny. I thought about
how to put it together and realised that people with such children
don’t allow them out in public, so I decided to build up on that.
Now, I always consult with some of my colleagues that I respect
whenever I want to start a project. When I reached to some of them on
this film, they turned me down and refused to get involved because they
claimed it was the story of someone and I could get sued or even
arrested for shooting a film with that story line. I told them that
wasn’t the case and decided to proceed with the project because I’m a
goal-getter. Eventually when it came out, a lot of them came back to
apologise to me for turning me down initially. And, before you know it, a
lot of people started copying my concept.
That was the same thing that happened when Funke Akindele shot
Jenifa. What most people don’t know though is that, when someone does
something originally and you copy it, the credit still goes back to the
person somehow. I also used this project to reach out to people who have
such children to please stop locking them inside. And, to the general
public and the government too to please show them love and support as
it’s done in the western world. If we don’t take care of our physically
challenged ones, it will become a problem for the society eventually.
This people may be handicapped but they are actually very brilliant and
they hardly get involved in crime, which is why we ought to take care of
them as a society. This is part of what we do in my foundation
presently….
What’s the name of your foundation?
The Lizzy Anjorin Foundation, and we basically operate under the
radar because I don’t believe in publicity for such works. I believe
that whatever good I can do via this medium is between me and God and he
will reward me in his own way.
You were quoted in a recent interview as saying that
everyone is not meant to marry or have kids. What exactly do you mean by
this?
What I said was that it’s not everyone that comes to this world
that will get married, and one cannot rush into marriage because
everyone around is getting married. Everything in life is about destiny;
once it’s your time, you will surely shine.
It’s also been reported that you once said your biggest assets are your eyes and boobs. Is that true?…That
is another completely false report; just the same way they reported
that I said I can’t marry a poor man. Come on, even if I can’t marry a
poor man, would I say that in public? There are just some things you
don’t ever reveal. This is why I don’t like granting interviews and some
journalists; you don’t need to destroy a person’s career or image
because you want to build yours. Casting sensational headlines with
things you know will be detrimental to another person’s career or image
is not right. But I thank God though; everything they’ve written and
said about me cannot bring me down because it’s only God that can
destroy me or bring me down. If God is behind you, nobody can bring you
down. A senior colleague called me recently to ask for my name on a
social media platform, which I gave to him. I never knew his son was a
blogger, and the next day, I saw some negative things about me that he
wrote. Can you imagine that? I’ve learnt not to let these things bother
me anymore though, because they are not God.
What are your plans for Valentine? Are you spending it with anyone special over there in America?…
Yes, I’m spending it with a very special person who is very dear to
me and is quite priceless. The love of my life and the best thing in my
life right now. My everything and my companion; Oluwarotimi Anjorin.
She’s my daughter and my Valentine (laughs).
Is there any news regarding marriage? Is anything coming up soon?
There will be some news on that very soon, Insha Allah. What
projects are you working on presently, and what are your plans for 2015?
I am working on 6 projects presently. I have 6 films I’m shooting at
the moment, and they should be coming to the cinemas soon, Insha Allah.
Are you releasing all 6 this year?
Well, if God says yes, then I will. I can’t speak for God because he’s the only one who knows the future.
As a Yoruba filmmaker, are you planning to be part of the
new film distribution network that is being implemented in Nollywood
presently, especially with your forthcoming projects?
Well, I can’t say much about that for now because it’s still a new
initiative and I want to see how it goes at the long run. If I do my
personal calculations and it works well with me, I may decide to be a
part of it and buy into it. If I see that it will help and improve my
career, of course, I will buy into it…
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