Veteran Nollywood actress Morenike Sulaimon, known as Mama Ereko, has opened up on her emotional struggles in her marriage to her late husband.
Mama Ereko ventured into acting in 1982 but took a break before returning in 1994. Since then, she has starred in and produced numerous films, including Ebun, Bimbo Osin, and Ajulo.
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The 79-year-old reflected on the emotional challenges she encountered in her marriage during an interview on Talk2Dunnis TV, which was posted on YouTube Saturday.
She said: “My children were still young when their father passed away. I experienced many challenges in my husband’s house. Sometimes, he would send me on errands when someone else he was interested in or his mistress was coming over to the house, and when I returned, I would find another woman at home. But I thank God for everything.
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“Among my husband’s mistress, one was particularly bold. She would even come and sleep in our house. I was always upset, but I didn’t dare to confront her or my husband because I was afraid of him (my husband).”
Remarry
Furthermore, Mama Ereko revealed that she chose not to remarry after losing her husband because she prioritised her children and preserved her youthful appearance.
She also mentioned that steering clear of the challenges of marriage played a role in her decision.
The actress stressed that the physical and emotional strain of marriage often contributes to premature ageing in women.
“If I had remarried, you wouldn’t be praising me for still looking elegant and beautiful at my age. I didn’t remarry because the stress of having intercourse makes you look older than your age.
“I’m already a man, so I don’t need a man again because I don’t remember how it feels to have intercourse with a man,” she added.
Industry
Additionally, the actress shared her experiences in the film industry, highlighting her challenges with movie marketers.
She noted, “In this industry, I have faced many difficulties. The struggles we went through because of marketers were not easy. I produced ten movies without making a profit or even recovering my capital. Each time I created a film, I had to use my own money to fund the next one because marketers failed to pay me. This continued until I met AbdulRazaq of Corporate Pictures.
“When I started working with him, I finally made a profit and recovered my capital. That was when I was freed from the marketers sitting on my earnings. AbdulRazaq advised me to stay within my limits; by God’s grace, I could produce many films for him. He even told me that he had peace of mind whenever I released a movie.”
Mama Ereko revealed that she used to write the scripts for the movies she produced.
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However, she explained that persistent headaches prevent her from doing so, so she relies on others to handle the scriptwriting.
“In those days, I wrote my scripts with some assistance from my child,” she said.
Sex-for-roles
On the issue of sex-for-roles in the industry, she noted: “I was never approached for sex-for-roles because I didn’t spend much time under my boss before I started producing movies. Since I was consistently producing, people often called me for roles, and I also reached out to others for casting.
“I have two movies set for release soon. One features Lateef Adedimeji, his wife, Kolawole Ajeyemi, and others. In the second movie I will launch soon, I worked with Lateef Adedimeji and Odunlade Adekola. I don’t do low-budget films.”
Mama Ereko advised aspiring actors to begin producing movies without delay and emphasised the importance of patience and perseverance.
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