See how Joshua Ojo, producer of Wole Soyinka's biopic almost lost his leg on location

4 months ago 14

The producer of Wole Soyinka's biopic, Joshua Ojo, has shared his experience while he was producing the movie and some of the challenges he faced
He had an accident a few minutes away from the film set and was hospitalised for months, and had to put the project on hold
In an interview with Legit.ng, the actor and director opened up as he shared more details about the film which gulped millions of naira

Joshua Ojo's journey into the make believe world started as an actor before he switched to directing. The talented act went viral after Lateef Adedimeji teased fans with a snippet from Ojo's yet to be released film, Wole Soyinka.

Joshua Ojo speaks about Wole Soyinka's biopic.

In the biopic, Adedimeji played the character of the first African Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, and fans have been anticipating the release of the cinema movie.

The director and producer, Ojo spoke with Legit.ng about the film, his choice cast, how the set was built from scratch, the accident that almost crippled the production and much more.

Why I choose Lateef Adedimeji - Joshua Ojo

Joshua Ojo and Lateef Adedimeji are no strangers, when it comes to working together. The two have enjoyed a good working relationship since the actor, who got married in 2021 was in the university. They both engaged in several stage projects in school. Ojo described Adedimeji as a versatile and volatile actor.

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"Lateef is a good thespian. He is among the most versatile and volatile performers of the modern age, and he has received no shortage of acclaim for his impactful, compelling, soulful, and immersive performances. Lateef is one of the most special, thoughtful actors I’ve ever worked with. This isn't the first time I'll be working with him We have done several stage projects while he was in the university, and he has also featured in some of my jobs. Working with him again was smooth and effortless."

"It took over a year to record"- Joshua Ojo spills

Speaking about the duration of recording the movie, Ojo said it took over a year to film as they had to build the set from scratch after he was given some footage by Wole Soyinka. He also had an accident that kept him bedridden for months.

"It took us over a year to record. Wole Soyinka gave me some pictures and footages, so I tried to recreate them, the prison, his house and other places we used on set. It was during the raining season, rain destroyed all we did at a point and we had to start all over again.After we started, I was going to a supermarket close by to get something to eat when I was knocked off by a car, the car dragged me for a while and I broke my leg. While at UCH, I was told that they had to amputate the leg or I undergo a surgery. I was hospitalized for many months. I had iron and screws all over my leg. About 20 meter iron was placed inside the leg, I was given 14 injections per day. While battling with all that, I sent a message to the actors on set, and they all went. Many of them didn't come back after I recovered a little. I was on a wheelchair then and called for the actors to come, unfortunately, you have to pay upfront in Nollywood so many didn't come back again, they said they had other engagement and didn't refund the money. A few were understanding and came back."

How it feels meeting Wole Soyinka?

Speaking about his experience meeting professor Wole Soyinka, Ojo said it took eight months to pin the Nobel Laureate down.

He said:

"It took eight months to pin professor Wole Soyinka down. After pinning him down, it also took a while to sit him down so that he can talk to us. I was able to ask him questions and he gave me some books to read as well. Our lead cast, Lateef Adedimeji, also met with him like three times before we started shooting."

Wole Soyinka's biopic is going to the Oscars - Joshua Ojo

The talented director and producer also shared his plan for the biopic. According to him, he is aiming at submitting it for the Oscars.

He stated:

"The film was shot in the UK, Ibadan and an Lagos state. I intend submitting if for the Oscars, that is why the movie was shoot in Yoruba. But iI can assure you that it will go to the cinema soon and some streaming platforms. "