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Timini Egbuson: A Journey To Self-Fulfilment

By Akinwale Akinyoade
04 September 2019   |   3:45 pm
The Guardian Life recently caught up with Nollywood actor, Timini Egbuson and he talks to us about his sojourn into the world of films. The actor who also doubles as a voiceover artist and influencer in this chat talks about how his search for self-fulfilment took him into the film industry and how his journey…

Timini Egbuson

The Guardian Life recently caught up with Nollywood actor, Timini Egbuson and he talks to us about his sojourn into the world of films.

The actor who also doubles as a voiceover artist and influencer in this chat talks about how his search for self-fulfilment took him into the film industry and how his journey has been like so far.

Timini Egbuson

Timini Egbuson

You were a Marketing Executive for an e-commerce company before venturing into acting, how did that happen?

When I finished my degree, I decided to look for work and I was opportune to work for an e-commerce organization and I was there for two years but I didn’t feel as fulfilled as I should have been so I decided to look for other options. Prior to that, when I was at the university, I used to play around with the idea of acting and I used to accompany my sister, Dakore Akande to film sets and it also developed my love for acting though at the time I didn’t see it as a means of livelihood. However, my lack of fulfilment at my office made me to start to going for auditions again and I finally got a role on “Tinsel” which catapulted into my role on MTV’s “Shuga”.

Would you say your background in psychology prepared you for Nollywood?

My background in psychology did not necessarily prepare me for Nollywood. What really prepared me for Nollywood was all the life experiences I had gone through since I was 11. Depending on what the character brings, sometimes I have to tap into the things I have experienced years ago. Psychology helped me understand human behavior and helps me get into character sometimes but it’s not what prepared me for Nollywood.

Does being the younger brother of Dakore Akande have any effect on your career (positively or negatively)?

Positively for a fact and not because she is connecting or plugging me to roles like people would like to believe. When I first started, it was a thing for me because people didn’t believe I deserve to be here. She guides me since she is very knowledgeable about the industry so she has always been there in the corner giving me advice and tips.

Is there any significant rejection in the industry that comes to mind and how did it affect your mindset?
There has been many rejections but with rejections, come lessons on perseverance and the rejections made me go back and better my craft.

Timini Egbuson

Timini Egbuson

What do you look out for before deciding to play in a film?

I really look at connecting to a story and really just believing in what the story has to tell. Not all stories tell positive things but sometimes we have to tell the negative to show people that it’s not what they should be doing.

Do you have any special routine to get into character for any script you get?
What I do is to read the script repeatedly so I really get what the character is about from the writer’s perspective as much as possible. What I don’t do is to over-prepare because when you do, it becomes difficult to take corrections when the director has a different direction from what you prepared and how you wanted to deliver the scene. So, I just let the spirit of the character enter me when we are on set.

What has been your proudest moment in Nollywood so far?
It has to be working side by side with Dakore. It has happened a few times and it is nice seeing someone I grew up watching as a mentor be someone I act in the same film and sometimes scene with. I don’t joke with such moments. Another huge moment for me was when Niyi Akinmolayan whom I really respect called me on the phone to tell me he had a film role for me and the character was written with me in mind. For little me, that made me really proud.

What change would you like to see in the film industry?
More support, more love and more people getting what they deserve. There are still a lot of people being underpaid. People are still seeing it like a competition rather than a collective thing. The divide must stop, we are growing and it is not the time to start forming camps, we need one voice and that is the only way we can bring about real change.

Netflix in recent times has been showing major interest in Nollywood, how do you see this impacting Nollywood films and actors?

This is something we are excited about as actors and Nigeria but the truth is Netflix is not doing it because of us. They are doing it because we are a market, there is a lot of us love our content and even non-Nigerians love the way we tell our stories. We just need to ensure that the quality of what we put out there is topnotch. But at the end of the day, as an actor, it also means that my work can be on a great platform like Netflix and that means more directors, filmmakers all over the world can see my talent or any other Nigerian talent and identify with it. In addition, Nollywood has many stories that need to be told and being on Netflix is a step in the right direction.

There has been a lot of speculations surrounding your love life, is there any special woman in your life?
There is no woman in my life right now. My eyes are open, my ears are to the ground and I am definitely open and ready to accept true love when it comes but right now I am just focusing on my career.

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