Funke Akindele (SHE), Waje (Excite) and Victoria ‘Vee’ Adewale (Tito) are major characters in Prime Video’s latest original, SHE Must Be Obeyed. The trio had a chat with Guardian Life and spoke about their characters, challenges, making a highly anticipated series that would kick-start life-changing conversations in the entertainment industry.
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Can you take us briefly into the process of making this long-awaited series?
FUNKE: I had the concept eight years ago and along the line, it developed. Three years ago, we decided to start the project; we wrote the script and concluded on it being a series. Casting was next and I had to think of the best characters followed by pre-production and production itself and finally, post-production.

How did you decide who was a 100 percent fit for each role?
FUNKE: I like to work with professionals, this is important because I want the best, as the output really matters. I wanted to work with the best actors and all the people that worked on this gave a 100 percent.

It is clear that Prime Video is the home of entertainment; when and how did you decide you were going to make a home with them with this production?
FUNKE: I wanted an international platform and one that celebrates Africans and sees our stories as important, one that considers everyone and that is what Prime Video is and more. This is why I opted for Prime Video. Immediately I finished, I knew they were the only ones I could make a home with for SHE Must Be Obeyed.

What aspect of the film’s story and character do you think would resonate most with viewers?
FUNKE: I think it would be SHE, because everyone has dealt with someone like that. Also, the travails and trials celebrities go through, their ups and downs and challenges. We see celebrities smiling and jumping on stage but we don’t know what they go through. This series will show a little of what they go through behind the cameras.

Would you say the character you played is like an extension of yourself or you had to transform into it?
FUNKE: I had to completely transform into SHE; SHE is evil. I think the only thing we share is determination as we are both determined people but I won’t do some things just to get to where I want to go. I had to really go study people that are like SHE just to be like the character. It is definitely not who I am.

What major challenges did you have to deal with while shooting?
FUNKE: Wearing different hats. I was the head writer, producer, co-director, served as production and costume designer and acted as the lead character. While acting, I also had to look at others to ensure they were delivering right. Though I love to do all these, it was challenging and thankfully, I worked with the best.

Are viewers going to see more of this kind of content from you on Prime Video?
FUNKE: Absolutely, you are going to be seeing a lot of content from me on Prime Video and we’re working hard to achieve this. My experience bringing this to life was wonderful and I feel blessed and happy working with Prime Video, it is a great family to work with. This is my first time producing an original with them and they have been phenomenal. I cannot wait for everyone to see it and experience the magic.

How much of yourself did you have to give up in playing the part of Tito in this production?
VEE: About 90 per cent I would say went into acting this role. The remaining 10 percent went into singing. I gave everything inside me. This is my first project and I had to ensure I gave everything. The singing was the easy part; learning the script and becoming the character, the long hours was the hard part.

You are no stranger to the big screen, how did this experience differ compared to what you have been doing in the past?
VEE: This is more rehearsed; with reality TV, you just do your thing but with this, you must get it right, else, you will do it again and again. It is way different.

Are your fans going to be seeing more of you in these kinds of roles?
VEE: This is the beginning of something amazing for me and I’m hoping I can put myself in more places that combine music and acting. I want to do more of both; I don’t want to do one thing alone.

What major challenges did you face while filming?
VEE: I would say the heat. When shooting, anything that makes noise has to go off and if you break a sweat, you must pause to be dabbed off and you may lose that motion you are in. That is a bigger problem than I realized because I am very sweaty. You could be deep in a performance, in tears, but once you hear ‘pause, she is sweating’, you have to hold on to that emotion so you don’t lose it.

You’ve had an interesting career and done everything in this world, can you tell us a bit about it up to this point?
WAJE: I started out as a musician and when I started acting, it wasn’t exactly new to me because of my background. I am always looking forward to exploring new things as an entertainer as I am first a creator before anything else. Creation doesn’t mean just necessarily music, it could be anything.

You’re a triple threat: singing, acting, dancing and everything in between, would you say you were made for this role?
WAJE: As I said, I am a creator and I think this is where ‘Excite’ and I are kind of similar. She is loud and has a ‘can do’ spirit. I had to reach down within me and project someone that is not completely Waje but still projects the artistic side of me. I would say I embody it as Waje the musician and Waje the actor.

How does the message of this movie resonate with you as a music artist?
WAJE: I feel there is no better time than now for the movie to come out, especially with everything that has been happening in the entertainment industry and I feel like one of the major ways to bring solutions is to create awareness and start the conversation. I understand that as a businesswoman, it can be tough; balancing and trying to merge the creative and business side of things. That is one of the things this series shows; SHE (the lead character) is narcissistic, not a nice person and people in the entertainment can very well relate because we have all dealt with someone like SHE.

So you think this movie is going to create this awareness you speak of?
WAJE: Absolutely, I know there will be conversations because things are happening. We were shooting a particular scene and something similar happened in real time whilst shooting. People will watch it and say we took it from what happened but it didn’t happen like that.

This movie celebrates Afrobeats, how deeply and richly does it project the genre to the world?
WAJE: The fact that the movie has an original soundtrack is celebration enough; there are five original pieces that will be available on all music streaming platforms. I sang two tracks, one by myself and the other with Vee; Funke has one and Vee has three. This in itself shows the collaboration between both industries.

What was your experience like on set; was there any difficult moment(s) for you?
WAJE: I’m used to long hours already and I think the major challenge was the pressure I put on myself because I didn’t want to be mediocre. Because it is a series backed by a lot of music, there is a tendency to relax, as I am experienced at music but I still needed to do my homework. Shout out to Toni Tones who was somewhat like an acting coach for me. Many times, I rehearsed my lines with her before I came on set and Funke was so patient. She made it relatable so I could understand my character, Excite. You may think you’re doing a good job but the camera doesn’t lie and the person watching you and the camera will pick it up if you’re doing poorly.

What was your character like, would you say it is an extension of your real life persona?
VEE: Tito, my character, is the opposite of who I am in real life. She is naïve, especially considering the situations she found herself in. She is forgiving in a sense, when you look at her relationship with SHE who comes across like she is Tito’s fan but you can always sense the disdain coming from SHE towards Tito and that is not who I am. In real life, I can sense that kind of energy if it is directed to me but Tito didn’t sense that at all. It was interesting being that kind of person on screen because there are certain things Vee would react to that Tito wouldn’t and that slight reaction may show on camera.

WAJE: It is not just acting in a sense; it also reveals your range and project how much you can do because if you’re able to pull off those characters, imagine what you can do. You can do absolutely anything.

Did you have to change anything to prepare yourself for this role?
WAJE: I didn’t use to wear a lot of coloured hair but I now wear red hair and Excite inspired this. Another thing is the literal learning that was happening at every point, I had to learn to act naturally and let it flow. It’s not my first time acting but I had to practice over and over again so that my character shone through.

VEE: I had to dance and I’m not much of a dancer; I had to change everything about myself because there was nothing about being Tito that has anything to do with who I am.

We know that content shapes perspectives in today’s world, what key takeaways do you want viewers to leave with when they watch this series?
FUNKE: I want people to know there is good and bad in this world. No one can be 100 percent good as we all have our weaknesses, but you must ensure that while you’re in competition with others, it is healthy. Ensure that whomever you meet on your journey, you are kind to them. My character is very desperate and condescending. She believes the world must revolve around her and she’ll do anything to get to where she is going. For young talents and even for those of us that have been in the industry for a while, we must study our contracts well. Many young talents jump at opportunities and this series will teach viewers a lot. For big stars or star makers, we must learn not to trample on up and coming acts. Don’t take advantage of them by giving them crazy contracts to sign; have a conscience.

All episodes of SHE Must Be Obeyed are now streaming on Prime Video.
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