Adedimeji admits his role in the upcoming biopic of ex-governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be one of the defining points in his career
Abdulateef Adetola Adedimeji has been handed the role of Tinubu in Seun Oloketuyi’s new movie – ‘Last Man Standing’
Adedimeji’s skills at interpreting roles and characters has been consistently proven with over 500 characters including four biopics where he just landed a new one that might define his career for life, according to The Nation newspaper.
The report said the 36-year-old actor and singer’s brilliance and professionalism have landed him a career-defining role in Seun Oloketuyi’s upcoming film, ‘Last Man Standing.’
In a chat with the newspaper, the actor admits his role in the upcoming biopic of ex-governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be one of the defining points in his career.
“Yes, this would be one of the defining points because this is a tough one. At the end of it all, the man himself is going to have a few things to say about my interpretation and pass judgment. That is one thing that has been ringing in my head.”
With five biopics to his credit, Adedimeji says his versatility and ability to key into other people and bring the character to life seem to be the reasons for getting leading roles in biopics.
“I really don’t know why I am always called upon to play these roles. This is going to be my fourth biopic. I did Ayinla, I did Ige, I did Strangers, and now this. I believe it is the versatility and being able to key into other people and bring the character to life. That is you being an actor. Studying other people and making sure that you can drop you at a time you need to play them and bring them into reality,” he submitted.
If playing Ayinla Omowura, one of Yoruba’s greatest musical acts of the Apala genre from Abeokuta in Ogun State has earned him commendations and encomiums, Adedimeji’s interpretation of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in an upcoming biopic will take the breath away.
“It is always scary. It is a different ball game if the person is no longer around. But this is somebody that is alive. Someone that can sit and watch you play him, and if you don’t get it right he will say so eventually. It is a lot of work. I had to be on Youtube studying his mannerism, the way he talks, the way he moves, smiles, and all of that and try to replicate that. It is you forgetting yourself totally for the duration of the shooting.”
For one, who has never been found wanting in interpreting roles and characters, with a capacity to apply moderation and in other instances, elevate his interpretation of roles, Adedimeji says he took up the decision to take on the role in a bid to stretch himself and challenge himself again as an actor.
“At first, when I was told about the project, my first response was that I was not interested in playing the role. It is scary. Politics can be scary, and what came to my head was that this is politics, and it is something I am always scared of. Now, Asiwaju is not a mere politician, he is like a stakeholder, a man that has a lot going on around him, a lot of controversies happening all at the same time, and thinking that in the peak of all of these was when they wanted to put this out, I refused. But again, I know that it is going to be another stretch for me as an actor. I am taking this because I want to challenge myself again, I want to see how far I can push myself again,” he said.
Adedimeji further says he expects to be able to carry the role, and also that people are able to see another form of him as an actor. “I hope that it is going to be another stepping stone for me in my career. That is basically all I am about. This career is about the most important thing to me now, so I am putting a lot of effort into it to see that it gets me to another level. I pray that I am able to deliver it in a way that people will say, congratulations, you did well.”
In his words, the film producer, Seun Oloketuyi said the idea for the biopic was necessitated by the need to document the life of leading Nigerians that have made an impact on society while documenting the history of great figures in the country.
In 2021, Oloketuyi had produced a biopic of the Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello entitled White Lion. The film was premiered in Abuja in January 2022.
The film producer also stressed that the film has little or no political affiliation but rather a documentation of history for future purposes and upcoming generations. (The Nation)
