Photographer: Rotimi Adeliyi from Art is Lush Styled by: Alesha Bailey
Canadian Screen Awards nominated actor Olunike Adeliyi starts off 2018 with a bang starring in a list of highly anticipated projects set to make their debut this Spring 2018. First up is the theatrical release of the feature drama BOOST which hits the big screen on March 2nd, 2018.
BOOST follows the story of Hakeem Nour (Nabil Rajo) who is the teenage son of east African immigrant parents living in Montreal’s tough Parc-Ex neighborhood. Along with his best friend Anthony ‘A-Mac’ McDonald (Jahmil French), the two work at Hakeem’s uncle’s car wash ’spotting’ luxury sports cars for a local crime syndicate to make extra money. A-Mac eventually persuades Hakeem to boost a car on their own leading to a windfall of cash that has dire consequences down the road – forcing Hakeem to make a life-altering decision and define the type of man he will become. Olunike plays the role of Hakeem’s mother Amina Nour. Amina is from Lagos, Nigeria and married to Hakeem’s father who has been deported back to Eritrea. Amina is left alone to raise her two sons Hakeem and Ali with very little means to survive. With the absence of her husband and the daily struggles as a single immigrant mother, Amina desperately tries to keep her family together and out of trouble, which proves to be an impossible task. Olunike’s powerful performance as Amina has earned her a 2018 Canadian Screen Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Olunike also stars in the sci-fi, fantasy feature Darken, about a bizarre, mysterious, and violent unknown world with danger and death around every corner. After a young woman, Eve, is accosted by a dying warrior in the middle of the street, a bizarre incantation propels her into the realm of Darken – a violent prison-like world of labyrinthine rooms, interconnected with no apparent rhyme or reason and no way of escape. Olunike plays tough-as-nails warrior Kali, who uses makeshift weapons expertly in her continual battle for survival. Radicals on the run, she and her close friend, Mercy, keep one step ahead of the murderous disciples of the evil high priestess, Clarity. When she meets Eve, she’s initially suspicious of this bright-eyed woman from another world, but as they face deadly adventures, side-by-side, her feelings for Eve grow. The film is set to be released nationwide this Spring 2018.
Other current and upcoming productions for Olunike include seasons one and two of the hit comedy series Workin’ Moms (CBC); the short film Guion about the first black man that traveled to space; feature film Descendant directed by Nicholas McCarthy and stars Orange is the New Black’s, Tara Schilling; Deep Six, a hyper-realistic live-action portrayal of a deep space forward operating base at a pivotal moment for humankind 250 years in our future; and feature film The Parting Glass directed by actor Stephen Moyer where Olunike will be starring alongside Anna Paquin (True Blood), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Denis O’Hare (Dallas Buyer’s Club). Also, due out, Olunike will be seen working alongside a star-studded cast including Tom Holland (Spiderman), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Mads Mikkelsen (Rouge One: A Star Wars Story, Hannibal), Nick Jonas (Jumanji) and David Oyelowo (Selma) in the anticipated dystopian SyFy feature film, Chaos Walking directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow).
OMG! We are so excited to learn about Olunike’s projects! We had the wonderful opportunity to interview her. Check it out below.
Hi, Olunike! Thank you for granting the interview. You’re currently starring in a feature film called BOOST. Tell us about your character, Amina Nour, and role in the film.
Amina is an incredibly strong woman who is an African immigrant raising two young sons on her own to the best of her ability. Like most immigrants that journey to live in Canada, Amina has hopes and dreams of a better life and to be a part of the Canadian culture, but obstacles blur the vision. I drew from my own mother’s experiences when she first came to Toronto. It was not the easiest transition for her in a new country, but she worked hard to navigate through the unfamiliarity. I chose an animal to build Amina’s character. She was the hard-working beaver and she had to find many ways to build a dam through tumultuous waters for her family.
Amina is facing hardship and challenges raising two sons as a single parent. Did you have to conduct any research?
My mother and father were great resources to gather research from. I am also a mother. While I was studying full-time in New York at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I had about four or five jobs and a child to raise. Being a single mother has its challenges, but I had no time to dwell on them. I had to keep my baby safe, fed, and well-rounded while building my career.
So, the research is also innately in me. My job for the character was to reveal my deep personal emotional life as a mother and as a dreamer. Sometimes it was heartbreaking, but most times you pull through.
You’re playing an immigrant. Presently, this is a global hot topic. Boost sheds light on the struggles that immigrants face. This shatters the myth that immigrants are taking jobs away from people native to their country. This is not true, and we believe Boost is showing what’s really occurring. What are your thoughts?
I believe that immigrants add to the country because they help build the country. They also do the jobs that some Canadians, privileged to be born in Canada, don’t want to do. I commend the immigrant spirit for working hard and taking care of themselves as well as their families, by all means necessary. Boost does shed a light on that. I personally don’t think this is a global hot topic in current times, but a topic that has been around for hundreds of years due to migration. We also have to remember the Indigenous people native to Canada, who were the first to build this country at an unjust cost.
What should the audience expect to see?
The audience can expect Boost to be entertaining with a lot of action, suspense, and a whole lot of heart for these characters. It’s a specific story about a black family living in a marginalized, predominantly black community. However, it’s also a global story that any culture can relate to, as it highlights survival.
You’re also in the sci-fi, fantasy feature called Darken. It’s about a bizarre, mysterious, and violent unknown world with danger and death around every corner. Tell us about your character and role?
Yes, Darken is a crazy world in another dimension that doesn’t feel like any place many of us are familiar with. My experiences with the story and while filming felt like we were trapped in a prison-like maze. My character, Kali, is a real tough as nails warrior with panther instincts that move around Darken undetected while also protecting her close friend, Mercy. She is undoubtedly loyal once she trusts you and will kill you where you stand if she doesn’t.
What should the audience expect to see?
The audience should expect to be entertained with the consistency of suspense. These characters have to earn their moments of rest because they are being chased and hunted through almost the entire film. The mysteriousness stays alive, due to the main character, Eve, and the audience trying to decipher what or where the world of Darken is.
You continuously hone your craft. What keeps you inspired?
Travel, children, and animals keep me inspired. I try to base a lot of my character traits on animal traits. I believe animals are so much smarter than humans are. I love watching my cat Michael Jackson prance around the house finding things to do or not doing anything at all. He’s just living his life and being vulnerable. I find children are the same way. I could watch them play and interact all day owning their space with no end result. I want my acting to look like that. Traveling and seeing different cultures of people is how I gather my nuts to bring it back to my work. I also get inspired by watching other artists work.
Thus far, what has been the best experience working in the industry?
I have had some amazing experiences in the industry, but I think the best is yet come. I feel like I’ll always be chasing that dragon and that’s a good thing.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
Workin’ Moms now on (CBC); the short film Guion about the first black man that travelled to space; feature film Descendant directed by Nicholas McCarthy and stars Orange is the New Black’s , aylor Schilling; Deep Six, a hyper-realistic live-action portrayal of a deep space forward operating base at a pivotal moment for humankind 250 years in our future; and feature film The Parting Glass directed by actor Stephen Moyer where I will be working alongside Anna Paquin (True Blood), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Denis O’Hare (Dallas Buyer’s Club). I will also be seen working with a star-studded cast including Tom Holland (Spiderman), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Mads Mikkelsen (Rouge One: A Star Wars Story, Hannibal), Nick Jonas (Jumanji) and David Oyelowo (Selma) in the anticipated dystopian sci-fi feature film, Chaos Walking directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow). I’m so grateful.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
If I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would end mass incarceration in North America, destroy all guns and weapons of mass destruction, see to it that all black and indigenous peoplereceive reparations owed to them from historical enslavement, equal pay and opportunities for women and marginalized people, and restore the earth’s ecosystem that humans continue to destroy; myself included. I would also like to lay on a beach in the Maldives with my daughter while sipping dark rum as my skin filled with melanin absorbs the sun and roasts to a golden chocolatey hue. You asked!!!
Connect with Olunike:
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1583978
Website: http://www.toslam.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/olunikeadeliyi
Instagram: http://instagram.com/olunikefitness
Twitter: http://twitter.com/olunike
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