Abiola Segun-Williams
Known as Titi K in the soap, Tinsel, Abiola Segun-Williams talks about her career and style
Q: Tell us about yourself
A: I was born in Lagos. I have
always lived in Lagos. While I was growing up, my father was very
strict, while my mother was a very soft woman. Unfortunately, he died in
1995. I am married to Segun Williams but the name is very general. I
wanted to answer just Segun and drop the Williams but it occurred to me
that my parent in-laws may feel bad.
Q: What did you study in school?
A: I studied Theatre Arts at the
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Actually, God told me to go and
study drama. What happened was that I finished secondary school in 1983
and I kept writing JAMB. When I wrote it the fourth time, I decided
that was the last time I would ever write the exam. I asked God to give
me direction on what to study and He instructed me to make use of the
talent He gave me. When I heard the instruction, I decided to apply to
study drama.
Q: What was your first performance as an actor?
A: I was with Chuck Mike, who
taught me directing in school at a time. But he left as I was entering
final year and because of that, I decided to major in playwriting. I
felt Chuck was the only lecturer who could teach me directing. Studying
playwriting sharpened my skills in writing. I could see a play from the
perspective of a writer and not just from that of a director. The
movie, ‘Home’ was my first professional job and it was directed by Chuck
Mike.
Q: How did you meet your husband?
A: I met him in church. He is a
brother to my pastor’s wife. The first day I saw him, he winked at me
and I thought, ‘who is this mischievous person winking at somebody in
the church?’ I asked who he was and they said he is the brother to my
pastor’s wife. My husband plays with everybody. He has an amiable
nature and he also loves to worship. He has a very good conscience.
Q: How long have you been together?
A: I met him in 1992 and we started going out in 1996.
Q: How many kids do you have?
A: We have two kids.
Q: You have been in the industry for a long time. How old are you?
A: I am definitely not going to say my age. But I am few years short of fifty.
Q: Apart from Tinsel, which other movies have you done?
A: I have done quite a number of
movies and I cannot remember all of them. I did ‘In the cupboard’ by
Desmond Elliot and I got an award for it. The award was given to me from
the United States America for my role in the movie. I did ‘I will
take my chances’, also directed by Desmond Elliot and produced by Emem
Isong. I also featured in ‘Damages’ with Uche Jombo. The latest is a
non-English speaking character I played in a film called, ‘Finding
Mercy.’
Q: What determines how you choose your script?
A: I would definitely not play
some roles. I cannot kiss in a movie. As a Christian, I would not be
unequally yoked. One may say it is a role in a movie but my mouth is
still the one that is being kissed! In fact, my husband would kill a man
if I should kiss him in a movie. Moreover, I will never go nude in a
movie.
Q: You have been on Tinsel for six years now. How did you get into the series?
A: Some friends informed me about
an audition which I attended. When I got there, I met a mammoth crowd
of young people pushing themselves around. I could not wait. I went
home and called my friend Austin. I told him I could not wait for the
audition. My friend talked to somebody and I was given another day to
come for the audition. They gave me the character I auditioned for.
Q: How has it been since then?
A: It has been fantastic. I have enjoyed playing the character of Titi tremendously and I thank God for my experience on Tinsel.
Q: How do you relate to your character in the series?
A: Titi is just a stupid person. I
can never be like that. Number one, I don’t like social gatherings. I
don’t attend parties and if I do, I will always go late in order to
leave immediately. Titi likes to associate herself with socialites. I
don’t even know people who are socialites in Nigeria. I am always in my
house when I am not working.
Q: Was it challenging playing the character?
A: No. Titi was not challenging for me. There are people like her all over the world. There was a time I was in Punch
as a reporter and I went to interview one actress. She had a very high
estimation of herself and it showed through her speeches. In order to
play Titi, I remembered her.
Q: How do people react when they see you?
A: They meet me either at the
shopping mall or at the market. When they see me, they see the real
Abiola. A lot of times, I don’t wear make-up. I am always simply
dressed with my pumps. When they see me, they become confused. They
would not recognise me as Titi but would comment instead, that I look
like her. I am smaller and I look younger in real life than I do on
television. But the character, Titi, helps me when there is a long
queue somewhere. People would naturally make space for me.
Q: How do you keep yourself looking so trim?
A: I have always been slim. I
have not been able to get around to exercising but I know that I need to
exercise to be fit. When one gets to a certain age, one needs to keep
fit. My husband does not want me to exercise. He exercises for both of
us because he is on the big side. But I always watch what I eat and I
have been doing that since I started having children.
Q: What do you do at leisure?
A: Leisure for me is sleeping. I
don’t have a lot of friends. I don’t encourage people to come and visit
me because I don’t know how to host people.
Q: What turns you off about people?
A: I don’t like it when people are dishonest.
Q: Have you had sad moments?
A: As a young person, I did not
know anything called sadness. The first time I would lose anybody close
to me was when my father died. My heart wrenched then and only God
consoled me. Then, when Pastor Bimbo Odukoya died, I was below
depression. She was my sister in-law and I worked closely with her. I
loved her a lot. Everybody in the church loved her. She was a rare
woman.
Q: What does style mean to you?
A: Style is confidence. I had a
friend who had a few clothes but she wore them with such confidence that
people who had more clothes felt small beside her. Basically, that is
style. My mom also taught me that whatever I wear, I must have
confidence.
Q: What would you never wear?
A: I would never wear micro mini.
I would never wear clothes that show my cleavage. I feel it removes
from your femininity if your are showing all that to men.
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