Omowunmi Dada: I visited brothel, related with sex workers for weeks to fit into ‘Oloture’ role

Omowunmi Dada, the Nollywood actress, has revealed how she was able to interpret her role in the 2019 film ‘Oloture’.

The movie tells the story of a journalist who goes undercover as a prostitute to expose human trafficking in Lagos.

To interpret her role as one of the sex workers, Dada, in a recent interview with Nollywood On Radio, said she visited a brothel every day for two weeks.

She said while at the brothel, she related with prostitutes and learned about their daily lives. She said she also had to learn how to smoke, which was a challenging task.

“But I know that one production that challenged me was Oloture. We shot it in 2018. It stretched me. I had to make some character decisions. For example, I went to a brothel every day for two weeks, relating with prostitutes,” she said.

“You know, gisting with them, being their buddies, because if I had to be one of them, I had to understand their modus operandi.  Secondly, I do not smoke, but on Oloture, I smoked. I smoked from day one.

“In fact, on my day one on set, I smoked 14 sticks of cigarettes. By the time I got to my hotel, I was throwing up. I remember telling Sharon Ooja then, and she said she felt it too, but someone told her to take milk.

“The milk did not work for me, and there were days I would get on set, I was already sick, and the director, Kenneth would say, ‘Omowunmi, maybe you should take today off’ and I would be like ‘No, just give me paracetamol, and give me a few minutes to rest’.”