Former Big Brother Naija star and actor, Tobi Bakre has opened up on how he had to engage in grimy stuff to fit into his role in ‘Gangs of Lagos’, a gritty crime thriller.
Tobi played the character Obalola, a street King (Eleniyi – the owner of men) who had a scarred childhood that saw him grow up to being a gangster.
The actor said it was his first time playing a lead character, and the first time he embodied a gritty character.
He featured in the recent episode of Menisms audiovisual podcast.
Tobi said, “For ‘Gangs of Lagos’, that was challenging because like for the first time… you know as guys now, we build so many walls like you are ready for all the possible sad outcomes in life mentally. Like you don’t know it but… I was now playing the role of a strong guy but then in the same movie, he had moments when he had to be vulnerable. Bro, I had the toughest time. I had to tear my walls down.
“You know those plastic [herbal bitters] drinks na? I drank two within the space of five minutes. I just felt like I drank water because I didn’t feel anything. I was listening to the saddest music. This is the song I always remember from Gangs of Lagos, Celia song by Tiwa Savage. It is a very emotional song. I wasn’t trying to fake it [my role]. I needed to be actually sad, I needed to be there. So, I was putting myself in the scenario of this character.
“I was self-reflecting. There was a graveyard right in front of where we were shooting. So my head was in different places. And eventually, we shot that scene. After we shot it, and they said ‘cut’, everyone stayed quiet. And people in the background were sobbing. It was almost as if for that moment everybody forgot that we were acting and some people were actually tearing up.”
The ex-TV reality star said he rolled on the floor and rubbed sand on his face to fit into the role.
He, however, said his challenging task was the character’s vulnerability.
He revealed that he struggled to leave the character for a while after the movie.
Tobi said, “It [the character] leads sometimes like my wife now when I got home initially… Hardly, anger is the last emotion you can get but my fuss became shorter. On the road I’m driving, my fuss is a bit shorter because of this character I’m currently infusing. So, after the whole thing I had to just ease out.”
The movie follows the story of three friends: Obalola (Tobi Bakre), Gift (Adesua Etomi-Wellington) and Ify (Chike-Ezekpeazu Osebuka), who each have to navigate their own destiny, growing up on the rough and bustling streets of Isale Eko, Lagos.
