I’m Not A Regular Actor – Yomi Fash-Lanso

Yomi Fash-Lanso

Veteran Nollywood actor Yomi Fash-Lanso has credited his longevity in the movie industry to self-control and discipline. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

Noting that a professional actor must always be able to switch roles easily, Yomi revealed that versatility is one of the qualities that separates him from others in the Nigerian movie industry.

The moviestar added that quality actors make life easier for the director by immersing themselves fully in the character.

His words, “That is what separates a professional actor from a regular one. You must be able to switch roles. I don’t carry the same face or mannerisms into different roles. Everything appearance, movement, and expression, must reflect the character. Understanding the character deeply makes it easier to switch. You must transform for each role.

Once you get the ‘character bible,’ you must be able to build and present that character properly—that is what being an actor means. We also have what we call ‘directors’ actors.’ They understand the job and make things easier for the director because they immerse themselves fully in the character.”

WOW.

Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject to several controversies.

The origin of the term “Nollywood” remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema.

Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”, the American major film hub.

Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, and marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking and filmmakers from most of the regional industries.