Biodun Stephen Reveals She Gave Bolaji, Blessing Their First Lead Roles
Share This Post
 |
| Biodun Stephen (Nigerian film director and writer) |
Filmmaker Biodun Stephen has recalled giving actresses Bolaji Ogunmola and Blessing Obasi their first lead roles, describing her latest collaboration with them as a full-circle moment.
In an interview with ShockNG, Stephen expressed pride in the actresses' growth from emerging talents into established performers and producers.
"It's a full-circle moment actually. It's like homecoming because the two amazing women I am collaborating with, Bolaji Ogunmola and Blessing Obasi, I had met in my early years and also it was their own early years," she said.
"More importantly, I gave them their first lead role. It is so important how one has nurtured two people and one has aided in them discovering who they are in the industry and now one looks at them with so much pride and admiration because they have not just excelled as actors but they have also excelled as producers."
The filmmaker described reuniting with the actresses to tell a story as a privilege, noting how far they had come since their early encounters.
"It is such an honour to join forces together to tell a story," she added.
Speaking about Ogunmola, Stephen said the actress's determination and fearless approach to her work made her stand out.
"When I saw Bolaji, it was hunger I saw. I was looking for someone who was as hungry as I was. Who was going to put in a 110 percent that I was going to put into my work. I saw the fearlessness with which she approached the role," she said.
Stephen also recounted how she discovered Obasi after meeting her at a movie premiere, where the actress expressed interest in auditioning for her projects.
"I had met Blessing at a premiere and she said she will love to read for me. We scheduled a meeting. Long story short, I met her on a movie set where I was directing. She did this scene and I looked at this girl," she said.
The filmmaker said she subsequently cast Obasi in other roles, likening her discovery of the actress to finding exactly what she had been searching for.
"I remember that I gave her other roles. It was just like I had found my onion. Because for me, when I look for talent, I look for onion," she said.
