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I have always been a rapper but to further horn my skills on stage, I turned to acting professionally and I haven’t looked back since then. My first acting role was on Tinsel and I said one or two lines. That was in 2011. My first major role was about three years later on MTV Sugar. I played a character called ‘David’ and it was really fun.

So #TripleThreatEFA was actually a nickname that was given to me by a friend of mine. I’ve had a couple of nicknames over the years, but he asked how come I don’t have one that includes my talents — rapping, acting, and the third one is actually filmmaking or directing. I mean, there’s also dancing. There are so many facets to Efa, so we came up with #TripleThreatEFA.

I don’t think anyone influences the other. Predominately it’s music and filmmaking, but they’re both very similar because they both tell stories. The most important thing is in creating both forms of entertainment, stories are being told and I truly enjoy telling stories.

Working with Funke was like a dream come true, and I don’t just say that because a lot of people say things like that. I have a list of people that I really want to work with, and her name was on that list. She has made high-grossing films in the industry, I think the top 3, maybe even top 4 now. I knew that she was someone I wanted to work with and learn from. She was exceptional, and her level of professionalism was top-notch. It’s a moment that I will never forget. She is very intelligent and very empowering.

I will tell you the people on the list that I have worked with. The people that I am yet to work with, I will keep that to myself. But Kunle Afolayan is on that list, especially since he made ‘Figurine’. I was sold by that film, and it actually made me want to be an actor. Kemi Adetiba is on that list. I worked with Kunle Afolayan on ‘A Naija Christmas’, and I worked with Kemi Adetiba on ‘King of Boys: The Return of the King’ series. Tolu Ajayi, one of the directors of ‘Princess on a Hill’, was also on that list. He made a short film called ‘The Encounter’. I saw that short film, and it was another film that made me want to become a filmmaker.

To be fair, I think most of the roles I take on are challenging, but in very different ways. So there’s no most challenging. You know, people think acting is just about grand gestures, but sometimes the little things, the little nuances, also can be very difficult to control and maintain.

Yes, definitely. I feel like when you are playing certain roles, sometimes it might almost drown you without you even knowing. Sometimes you can get lost in the character. But over time, with a lot of experience, you learn how to pull yourself out of it. It’s about having safety precautions put in place. So, for example, if I know I’m going to become a character for a long period of time, there are certain people that I know, once I talk with them, they can pull me out of it. One of them is my mother. There is no way that I’d see my mother, we have a conversation, and it won’t take me back to a different time. It’s like a reset button. It’s good to have a safety net if you’re going to delve into certain roles.

First of all, huge congratulations to Timini on the success of his film. I actually happened to be in the film. I’ve known him for many years and he’s a really cool guy. But when people try to compare me and my colleagues, I don’t think much of it. I think people will always compare yams and plantains, only God knows which one is better. They’re both very enjoyable meals, depending on your taste. So that’s the way I see it, I don’t think much about it. I’m like, oh cool you think that person is dope and you think I’m dope as well. Well, thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.

I think everything about the process. You watch a three-minute scene and forget that it probably took two to three hours to set up. From lights to picking the costumes, picking the colours, the dialogue, the undertones behind every sentence being said. For me, the joy of filmmaking is the three hours before the three minutes and then watching everything come together after the editing.

I used to have a fear of being typecast but then I realized that someone can typecast you but you can also put a spin on it. So even if you’re doing a lover boy role, there are different ways of being a lover boy. The roles can vary, be different in characterization and how they’re pulled off. So, can I be typecast? I would say no because each and every character is so different and dynamic.

Yeah, I’m in a relationship with Christ. It’s called Christianity. How do I handle that? I think women are a blessing. I think women are extremely intelligent, emotional, and beautiful creatures created by God. I absolutely respect them, and every time they say something good about me, I’m greatly appreciative of it. And I just want to thank them so much for the love over the years. I would never take it for granted.

Well, luckily, I haven’t experienced it in any way. I think people think I have a very serious face, so no one brings that nonsense my way. I have been fortunate enough not to have ever experienced it.

Yeah. One would be to play Ojukwu in a biopic. People say we look alike and it would be lovely to play a young Ojukwu and see how that plays out. I think that would be the perfect acting test because people can have who to compare you with. Ojukwu is a favourite, but I’d welcome any biopic to be fair. It would be nice to play James Bond. I’m such a huge James Bond fan. I really really look up to someone like Tom Cruise doing stunts and all that stuff. So, an action role would be beautiful.

Just being an outlier who people have come to recognize. I mean, I’m a boy from Ugep in Cross River state, not the most popular place in the world, who was born and raised in Ibadan — popular but not necessarily for entertainment. So when you’re from Ugep, raised in Ibadan, and then you move to Lagos, people don’t necessarily think you have a lot to offer. And so to be able to do this much and hopefully do so much more in my lifetime, to be able to be a source of inspiration to young boys and girls out there. For me, it’s about being an inspiration to young people all over the world and people who aren’t necessarily from the most populous or popular places.

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