By Jackson Iwuanorue(jacksoniwuanorue@yahoo.com)
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| Doris Simeon & Jackson |
In an exclusive chat with Entertainment Express, the thespian that has been recognized and rewarded by the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) and Zulu African Film Academy Awards (ZAFAA) respectively, revealed that the memory of that encounter still haunts her.
“This happened in broad day light in Ketu. I was driving out from the market and there was this taxi man, maybe, he was fatigued or probably sleeping, frustrated, drunk or something, his car was in front of mine in traffic. As other cars were moving, he was not moving, so I had to over take him. To my consternation, the man alighted from his cab, came to where I was sitting behind the wheels and slapped me heavily. I felt so bad that I had to come down to confront him. To worsen the already tensed situation, onlookers that gathered immediately supported the man without listening to my own side of the story. They were like: “you are a star, an actress, you shouldn’t have confronted him, and don’t you know he is a man.” Meaning I should allow people walk up to me and do whatever they like and go just like that because I am an actress. That was my most embarrassing moment,” she recounts.
Read below for more intimate details on this rave actress currently dictating the pace in Yoruba and English movies with her swag.
Who is Doris Simeon?
Doris Simeon is an actress and a movie producer. She is from Edo State. I ventured into acting because I love it. I have been in the industry for about 10 years now. Although, it has not been easy, I will say I am one of the lucky ones. I have been so fortunate to still be relevant despite the long time that I have been in the industry. I love meeting people, I love learning from everybody.
Which of your numerous movies brought you to limelight?
I actually started with Papa Ajasco and family. I heard about the audition and went for it. I really did not want to go into acting per se because I am a shy person, ok, let me put it this way, I was a shy person. I was a shy person but I so much loved being an entertainer. I wanted to go into the industry and hide behind the camera so that people will know the name, not the face. So I just went for the audition to see how things were being done, what the requirements were, among others. So that was how it all started. The movie that really announced me was a Yoruba film entitled Oloju Ede. I have done some other movies before then but that was the movie that brought me to limelight.
The first movie I did was Abanikedun in the year 2000 which I have not even seen since then because it was not released at that time. However the first TV series was Papa Ajasco and Family where I played Papa Ajasco’s secretary.
So, what’s new about Doris Simeon?
Nothing really, only that I am working on a new project right now. It is going to be like a series and will definitely be a blockbuster. I am not going to spill everything out now because I am still working seriously on it and work will commence fully early next year. It is an action packed series about the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
How is life treating you as a married star in showbiz?
Well, I thank God, it’s been good. It has not been easy but the grace of God has been there for me. I have been married for about three years now; prayer has been the number one in everything that I do. I just thank God for the kind of husband that I have. He is a movie director, he is a writer, he is into the motion picture industry fully, so he knows the nitty-gritty of the industry and understands what it means to be an actress.
Between family and career, which one comes first?
Like I said earlier, it’s not easy but I make sure that my family comes first in everything I do. If I am doing something and I find out that my family needs me more than the job, I will definitely drop the job and I thank God that what I do is not a do or die affair. I can easily turn down some scripts and say I want to stay with my family for so time.
Where and how did you meet your husband?
I met my husband, Daniel Ademinokan at a movie set in 2005. We did not really start dating then. We started as friends. Within that period I got to like his ways, I liked the way he worked and did his things. We started working together before we began to date.
It is believed that most movie directors and producers seem to have huge appetite for women. So how do you cope being married to one?
There is one thing I have always said about trust; as long as a woman trusts her husband she doesn’t have to listen to rumour about anything the man is doing. I trust the man that I’m married to. I believe in him and he believes in me and I think that is the basis of marriage. That is what helps in sustaining a relationship.
How does your husband feel when he sees you kissing in a film?
When he sees such he believes I am doing my job. He is a very professional person, so he understands the acting profession very well. Starring in a romantic movie, is also part of my job. It is anything behind the camera that is of interest and he trusts me as his wife. He encourages me to be professional at what I do.
Did you nurse the ambition of becoming an actress while growing up?
Not really, but I just thought that I may be behind the camera, then the name would be known, not the face like I said earlier.
What are the things you look out for in a script before accepting it?
The content and quality of a script determines what makes me accept the role. For instance, in Ghetto Dreamz, after a long chat with the director of the film and some of Dagrin’s friends about the relationship that existed between the rapper and his girlfriend, I realized what they really want from me and gave my best. The script is educative and entertaining and it was also challenging. Acting the role of Dagrin’s girlfriend was a little bit challenging and the experience of working with other casts on the set remains memorable. Ghetto Dreamz is a movie aimed at preserving the late artiste’s legacy for posterity and to raise funds for his family and most importantly, to finance the Ghetto Dreamz Foundation, in order to help aspiring young artistes achieve their dreams.
You won an AMAA in 2008 and topped it up in 2010 with a ZAFAA trophy in London. Did you envisage that these awards would come this soon in your career?
It’s the grace of God that made all these possible and that helped to bring out the best in me. It was not that I’m better than every other person, but God has kept on giving me wisdom and teaching me what to do.
What impact has the movie industry made in your life as an individual?
Being in the industry has given me the opportunity to have access and easy communications to some extent, to the high and mighty in our society. And also being an actress and someone in the movie industry has totally removed my private life, now I am entirely conscious of whatever I do outside, I have to behave myself at all times, especially when I am in public.
Which among the numerous movies you’ve produced, did you find the most challenging?
The more challenging one to me was Omo-Iyakun and that was because of the fact that, in that film I played two different characters. I played the role of a twin, also being the producer at the same time and it was still that same period that I had my baby too. So, all these things happening at the same time made everything about that film very challenging to me compared to the other ones. But I must say, I thank God it came out well and remains one of my best efforts.
What’s the craziest thing you have ever done in a movie?
Ok, I think that was in a movie where I was asked to interpret a role as an imbecile. Saheed Balogun was on board in that production. Considering the fact that I have never played that kind of role before, it was a bit difficult and at the same time funny as well. I tried to bend my hands and legs, squeezing my face and dropping saliva from my mouth, just trying to be like an imbecile was the craziest thing I have ever done in a movie.
What has been your most embarrassing moment?
That was when I had an experience in 2004 with a taxi driver, it happened in Ketu. I was driving out from the market and there was this taxi man, maybe, he was fatigued or probably sleeping, drunk or something; whose car was in front of mine in traffic. As other cars were moving, he was not moving, so I had to over take him. To my consternation, the man alighted from his cab, came to where I was behind the wheels and slapped me. I felt so bad that I had to come down to confront him. To worsen the already tensed situation, on lookers that gathered immediately supported the man without listening to my own side of the story. They were like: “you are a star, an actress, you shouldn’t have confronted him, and don’t you know he is a man.” Meaning I should allow people walk up to me and do whatever they like and go just like that because I am an actress. That was my most embarrassing moment.
How do you view the issue of cast and crew members having affairs while on movie sets, don’t you think it somehow affects the quality of such productions?
I don’t see anything wrong with that, as long as you are not committing adultery. As long as it does not slow down or affect the pace or quality of production. You can’t stop them because they are all adults.
Do you have any regrets?
My only regret in life is that I did not make money at the age of ten.
What has life taught you as an individual?
Life has taught me to always confront challenges as they come instead of running away from them. Life has also taught me not to burden myself with the past. I have learnt to move on with life and find a reason to be the happy no matter the circumstance I might be going through.
You are very fashionable, how would you define fashion?
To me, fashion is about comfort; whatever you are wearing that looks good on you and that you are comfortable in, is fashion. For my local fabrics, Estito and Shoal are my designers. Although, they are not the most popular labels, but they give me the best, especially with black material, my favourite colour.
What is it that you have done in the past that you wished you never did?
The only thing I will say I did in the past and wished I never did, although, it has already been resolved was seeing my colleague in the entertainment industry and pretended as if I don’t know him.
Sometimes in the past, I could remember seeing M.I at an event and walked past him without even saying hello, but later on, we still saw and I apologised to him.
Who was your first love, is he married, do you still know his whereabouts?
He is in Asaba, I don’t know if he is married or not because we are no longer communicating.
What broke the relationship?
I think it was an issue of distance, knowing the fact that he lives in Asaba and I am in Lagos. We were finding it very difficult to connect well with each other, so over time that led to our break up.
Can same distance barrier affect your current status as a married woman?
No, that was then, it cannot happen again.
What other qualities endeared you to your husband?
I saw in him a good friend not even a husband then, he is a very hard working person, and he does not give up easily. He is someone that that likes to see things being done perfectly and successfully. I also considered the fact that he is in the same industry with me, which will make us understand ourselves better.
Who are your role models in the industry?
I admire Stella Damasus and Sam Dede so much.
Talking about Sam Dede, what do you admire so much about him?
You know, I grew up watching his movies like Issakaba and the rest, you know the normal attraction kids have for actors in movies. Even the day my husband and I met him, my husband told him how much I admired him and his movies.
I also love listening to Nigerian R&B songs, especially songs of music Artiste like Dare Art Alade, Banky W, Waje and Nnenna. Their songs touches my heart a lot.
If you were offered a mouth watering fee to play a nude role, would you oblige?
Acting nude movies? No way, but if it’s something like half nude; I will, it’s all about interpreting these roles the best way you can. But acting nude is not my culture and my up bringing does not permit such. Because of what the western world is exhibiting in there films, we tend to do the same; forgetting that they have their own culture, which they try to portray in those films we see. We have a different culture, so we should try to protect it too.
If you someday discover your husband is having an extra-marital affair, how would you react?
Truly, I will feel bad, but if he comes back to apologise I will forgive him.
What on earth will make you take a walk out of your marriage?
Nothing, except death as they advised us during pre-marriage counselling in the church.
What advice do you have for up and coming actresses who look up to people like you in the movie industry?
First and foremost, I must say that they should not strive to be like me or any other person, they should be themselves. They should not give up in their quest to get to the top. But at the same time, they should not be desperate or carried away by the wind of stardom. They should remain focused and prayerful.
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