•Omotola
After 30 years in the spotlight, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde’s story is as much about survival as it is about stardom. She talks about how loss, faith, and marrying young shaped her, and why her movie, ‘Mother’s Love’ feels personal, reports Guardian Life.
For more than three decades, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has remained one of Nollywood’s most recognisable faces. An actress, producer, singer, and humanitarian, she belongs to the generation that helped shape the modern film industry and take its stories beyond Nigeria’s borders.
In an interview with our correspondent, she reflected on personal loss, early responsibility, and the lessons she learned from marrying young while building a career in the public eye.
Behind the glamour sits a life shaped by grief, grit, and constant reinvention.
Now marking 30 years on screen, she framed longevity as a mix of discipline, timing, and an unshaken sense of purpose. The years have brought fame, yes, but also hard seasons that forced her to grow up early and learn fast.
She also shared how she measures success now, what she thinks Nollywood still needs, and why she remains intentional about the stories she chooses to carry. For Omotola, visibility is not the end goal. Meaning is.
30 years on screen, still hungry
On what keeps her moving after three decades, Omotola pointed to unfinished goals, both personal and industry-wide, while stressing that inspiration remains her final filter.
“The knowledge that there are still things to achieve personally and as an industry drives me. I also have discovered that no matter how much I want to do things, I always have to find the project that inspires me totally, before I can commit,” she said.
Asked if she ever imagined becoming a global face of Nollywood, she made it clear it was never by accident. She traced that mindset to her earliest days and the deliberate steps she took.
“Lol…may I surprise you maybe? Yes. I wanted that from after Venom of Justice, my first film. I researched the highest I could possibly go in this job, how the Best in other industries, particularly Hollywood, were doing it. I wrote it down. Pursued it. ”
Her strategy, she further explained, involved understanding the global film ecosystem and preparing herself for opportunities beyond Nigeria’s borders.
Old Nollywood vs social media era
The Nollywood star acknowledged that younger actors are entering the industry in a very different environment from the one she experienced in the 1990s.
According to her, social media has created visibility and accessibility that her generation did not enjoy.
“Today’s actors have the Luxury of growing with social media, the flexibility that comes with its many uses and the instant visibility,” she observed.
However, she warned that the same platforms could easily distract performers from their craft.
“Like everything, it also has its pitfalls. It can be very vain, deceitful and extremely distracting,” she added, stressing the importance of maintaining balance while navigating online attention.
Surviving the industry and losses that shaped her
One of the most defining professional decisions in her career, she explained, was insisting on contracts and clear agreements in an industry that once relied heavily on informal arrangements.
“It has been one of the best things I learnt and imbibed early in my career,” she maintained.
According to her, that decision created boundaries that protected both her reputation and finances.
“This is why today, I can’t point to anyone who has treated me terribly, owed me or acted unprofessionally with me in this industry, 30 years in,” she added.
Behind the public image of success lies a personal story shaped by grief and responsibility from an early age.
When asked about struggles that shaped her perspective, Omotola spoke about losing both parents and stepping into adult responsibilities as a teenager.
“Many,” she began. “I lost my father when I was 12. Lost my mom when I was 22. Started working when I was 16 to cater for my younger ones…”
She added that she had to rebuild her public image while adjusting to marriage and motherhood at a young age.
“Had to build my brand back to being desirable after getting married at 18 and giving birth at 19. Some others that I’ll spare you for now… lol.”
Her reflections illustrate how personal adversity often shaped the resilience audiences associate with her career today.
Reinvention, faith and seasons
Throughout her career, the 48-year-old actress has moved across acting, producing, music and business. Yet she said her decisions to evolve professionally are rarely rushed.
“When I feel the tug and leading to. I always wait for it to happen naturally,” she explained.
She attributed this approach to her faith, which she said guides the timing of her creative shifts.
“When it’s time, if you’re sensitive to the Holy Spirit, you’ll know what season you’re in. I don’t force things or hold on to things either… I don’t do anything without hearing from God first,” she added.
This perspective, she noted, has helped her maintain clarity about when to pursue new ideas and when to pause.
Mother’s Love, a story drawn from real life
Her reflections come as her latest film, Mother’s Love, is already screening in cinemas nationwide after its release on March 6.
Omotola described the film as a story deeply connected to personal and cultural realities.
“This story and movie is inspired by true events,” she stated. “Some of which is my own experience with my mother and first daughter.”
She added that many women have responded to the themes explored in the film.
“I have also found out a lot of ladies can relate to the same issues and struggles, and indeed families,” she said.
In another moment, she recalled the most emotionally challenging scene from the project. The scene, set in Makoko, demanded both her directing and acting strength.
“The most challenging scene has to be Makoko, where I was dressed down, directing and plotting the scene with my daughter, then had to rush to get into a glamorous costume on land to act my role in the same scene and be probably most vulnerable in that scene. It all hit me, and I truly felt tired and Vulnerable,” she said.
She also offered context on how her shift into producing and directing unfolded. Although she had been preparing for it, she did not expect the timing or speed.
“Even though it was a process I was preparing for, I never anticipated it would come at the time and way it did. I was encouraged while I was on vacation to shoot a YouTube project, and that started the then crazy jump into shooting a feature before getting on the plane and returning back to the states.”
That story reads like momentum meeting readiness.
Beyond the personal elements, Omotola also uses the film to make a larger point about cultural storytelling. In her view, cinema is a tool for national identity, and Nigeria must be deliberate about what it projects.
Changes she wants
“What are we selling? With Mother’s Love and All movies coming out of Redhot concepts, you will always see the Nigerian Cultural heritage showcased through food, music, fashion, language, and tradition. You will also always see our resilient spirit. The Nigerian Winning Spirit.”
That is more than a creative statement. It is a cultural argument.
She compares Nigeria’s storytelling responsibility to what other countries have done for decades. In her view, American films often project patriotism and heroism. Indian films historically projected certain moral codes. Chinese cinema sold a particular image of strength and intelligence. South Korea now sells culture through love, beauty, music, and tourism.
Her question is direct. What is Nigeria selling?
For Omotola, the answer is culture and resilience. Food, music, fashion, language, tradition. The spirit of survival. The winning spirit.
That approach positions Mother’s Love as more than a family drama. It becomes part of a larger project of cultural self-definition.
It also fits her earlier point about meaning over visibility. If a film does not carry meaning, it does not matter how loudly it is marketed. The story must land. The culture must feel real.
National worry
Omotola’s answers also moved beyond entertainment into Nigeria’s broader social reality. When asked what issue keeps her up at night, she pointed to human rights abuses and the justice system.
“The continuous human rights abuses and violations without consequences. The slow pace of the justice system and lack of trust in it.” She said it is not only about what happens. It is also about what does not happen afterwards.
What Nollywood still needs
Omotola’s long view of the industry also includes policy. She does not reduce Nollywood’s problems to talent or creativity. She points to distribution and incentives.
“Filmmakers need tax incentives and more distribution channels for African movies.”
In many ways, her demand is a call for infrastructure.
It also aligns with how she speaks about global competitiveness. If Nigeria wants to sell its culture through film, the films must have pathways to travel. They must be distributed properly. They must be supported by systems that recognise film as both art and economic product.
