Nigerian Actor Ronke Ojo Anthony, popularly known as Ronke Oshodi-Oke, sits with Chude Jideonwo, host of #WithChude on a new episode of the show. On this episode, she speak about her acting journey, the role that got her the name Oshodi-Oke, breast enhancement surgery rumors, and all the weight she lost.
Ronke shared about her passion for acting, “I have never regretted acting. It is my calling and I love it so much. I am so passionate about it. I didn’t know I was going to be an actor. My late father wanted me to be a newscaster or an air hostess. In the long run, I went to Fadeyi, and I saw the likes of Jide Kosoko, Baba Alaran, and others. They were so happy. I knew that they did not really have money, but I would see them gathered in one place laughing all the time. I liked to laugh a lot, so I approached one of them and I told them what I wanted to do. Before I went to acting, I used to work in Tincan Island. Then, my father had problems with Customs (where he used to work). Because I’m the firstborn of my family, I had to support my family, so I started working early. I grew up so early. I started working, I started doing some certain things and to God be the glory, here we are today. It wasn’t easy at all. There’s a Yoruba proverb that says, ‘Oshi o ni kan baba, ko kan Iya, ko ma dara omo” (a problem cannot affect the father, affect the mother and not affect the child). Being the firstborn of the family, you have to support your family, you have to support your siblings and stuff like that, so it wasn’t easy. (My father never came out of the issue) before he died. That was why I could not further my education”.
Speaking on how she landed the role in the film that gave her the name, ‘Ronke Oshodi-oke’, she shared, “That beautiful day, I was at the National Theatre. We normally go to the National Theatre, so that people will see us. Producers come there to cast. I was there one day when my friend wanted to introduce me to Korede films. I met with him, and he said he wants to shoot a movie and I will be a sub-leader in the film. I said, ‘Okay’, I didn’t even know what he meant by sub lead, I just wanted to work. When I got to the set, I met Late Iyabo Yoyo, and we were working on it together. But at some point, she left the set. I think she had a fight with the producer. They will just tell me to go and come back. They were doing chroma, but I didn’t know what it was until the film came out. It was when the film came out, I knew that they changed the script. I was supposed to play the sub-lead while Aunty Iyabo was supposed to play the lead role. But when she left, they changed the script and rewrote the film to make me the lead. The entire film was shot at Oshodi-oke.”
Ronke denied the rumors that she had breast reduction surgery, she shared that she was counselled to lose weight by her doctor in the United Kingdom. “I did a weight loss program but I’m not sick. I’m very strong and healthy. I went to the UK sometime; I have a doctor there. It was my doctor who said I should lose weight. I was 110 then, and he said I should lose weight to about 75. I was like ‘eleyi po ke’ (this is a lot). But he said I should try. Later, I was just doing my thing, but I started having some small small sickness, high blood pressure and stuff like that. So, I just said, ok, let me start doing this thing.”
Watch the excerpt here
