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Efe Irele: Nobody can thrill me

By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia
05 November 2022   |   5:27 am
Before acting I owned an event management company and before that I used to work as a Human Resource manager because I have a masters in Human Resource management so I did that for almost a year and because I was frustrated in the job I just wanted to get out of there.

Efe Irele is an actress and a model. The native of Edo State attended Corona Primary School, Lagos, and had her secondary education at Queens College, Yaba. Irele has a BSc in Sociology from Bowen University and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from University of Chester, UK. She ventured into modeling for artists and starred in Burna Boy’s Like to Party video in 2012. She also starred in Adekunle Gold’s Sade video. She has gone on to feature in multiple Nollywood movies and series including Real Side Chics, Wrong Kind of War, Ire’s Ire, Zahra and Scandals.
Irele decided to try acting after working as a HR manager for several months, she however landed her first role in the 2016 Iroko TV series, Aso Ebi. In this interview with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA, she talks about venturing into acting as a model.

What were you doing before acting?
Before acting I owned an event management company and before that I used to work as a Human Resource manager because I have a masters in Human Resource management so I did that for almost a year and because I was frustrated in the job I just wanted to get out of there. Before then, I was into TV modeling and I knew I loved being in front of the camera; it was a weird transition, I never really knew that I wanted to act but I knew that I loved watching movies and re-enacting things in the house with my parents and my siblings and I also used to do appearances in music videos, and then my manager said a lot of people wanted me for acting roles and just like that, I started falling in love with acting going to auditions regularly until I finally got my role in Aso Ebi.

How has it been since then?
It’s been tough, it’s been an amazing journey and I’m always appreciative of every single step that I take in my life and the tough times have taught me and made me stronger for everything that I am going through now. I’m only just getting started by the way.

It’s been seven years of active acting, how have you been able to handle fame?
This thing called fame I think a lot of people look at it differently; it’s what you make it. Obviously it’s very different now that you can go out and people recognise and try to come close, it was weird at first, it was very weird even for my family, my dad (may God rest his soul); I just lost him this year May 2, he would freak out when people call because he was very protective of me. It was weird at first but I got used to it, as this is my new life.

Have you produced any movies?
I have a whole lot of movies that I have produced. I’ve been producing for three years now. I have produced about fifteen movies.
How did your parents feel after sending you to the UK to pursue your master degree only to come back and venture into the entertainment industry?
My mum was open to it, but my father initially did not understand it. My mum would book interview appointments for me and ask me to follow it up. I look at her today and I could see smiles on her face. I am into showbiz for real, and this is what I love doing for a living.

What is your most exciting experience with a male admirer?
Nobody can thrill me. I feel like I’ve always been a fine girl so the fame is not even doing extra. So I’ve not had any admirer that has thrilled me, everything is just normal, nothing extra.

Are you in a relationship?
Yes I am.

Why have you decided to keep your relationship off social media?
This is because as much as there is fame, I like to keep certain parts of my life to myself and enjoy it on my own. It’s almost the same way even with family. I don’t always post my family so much so I like having that moment for myself.

A lot of your colleagues have proved that celebrity relationships don’t last, what’s your take on that?
I don’t know what you are talking about but it’s like every human being we all have our faults, but people now generalise it because we are on the forefront of the general public. Every human being in every aspect of life will falter; no one is perfect at the end of the day.

Since acting has taking a better part you; are you quitting being a video vixen model?
I still do some selected videos, but not everything that comes my way.

How much of nudity have you displayed as a video vixen?
That was never me, at any point in time. From the outset, I had this kind of mindset that I am not going to show my skin to bring any attention to myself. In all the musical videos I have featured in, I was properly dressed.

What if the pay is good to show your skin in a musical video, will you reject it?
No matter how much you offer me, I won’t expose my body in a musical video.

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