Nicknamed Obirin larin Okunrin (woman amongst men), Gift is used to being one of the boys of Isale Eko and is just as ruthless. When Ify, one of her best friends is killed, Gift will stop at nothing to avenge him. A fierce and supportive friend, Gift is the soul of the group, and a true leader that never takes no for an answer. Her warrior spirit is the friendship that Oba will need to fight his biggest threat.
Adesua Etomi is Gift
What would you say drew you to your character, Gift in Gangs of Lagos?
I love to see women in powerful roles. I loved that Gift was fearless, I loved that she was physically and mentally strong and I loved her spunk. I also loved how loyal she was to her family. We are very similar and different in many ways and that made her very interesting to me.
Can you tell us about your experience working on Gangs of Lagos, and what drew you to this project?
Working on Gangs of Lagos was and is the highlight of my career so far. I loved being on set no matter how hectic it got. I love my cast members and the crew, and I loved seeing the dedication of everybody that worked on this project. I was drawn to this project first because Jade Osiberu was the creator and director. I was also drawn by the story and the relationships within it and I was drawn to the scale of the project.
Your character in the film has a strong bond with Obalola, the protagonist. How did you develop this on-screen friendship with Tobi Bakre, and what was it like working with him?
Tobi Bakre is my brother. We have been family (by choice) for a few years now and I am a fan of who he is as a human being. Tobi is incredibly talented and nobody deserves this win as he does. Working with Tobi was easy. He has the right spirit and the right attitude. Always willing to learn and is so much fun to be around.
Gangs of Lagos is a gritty and hard-hitting action-crime thriller. What challenges did you face while shooting the film, and how did you prepare for your role?
Filming in Nigeria can be an extreme sport. The question should be, what challenges didn’t we face? With that being said, we were extremely lucky to have worked with such a fantastic cast and crew. We all cared about this project deeply so instead of dwelling on the challenges, we focused on finding solutions. Preparing for this role involved Yoruba lessons, fight and stunt training, character breakdowns, rehearsals with the director etc. At the time I was also going through the experience of being a new mother who was 5 months postpartum and still nursing, so it was interesting, and incredibly challenging, to say the least. I am so grateful that I worked with kind people – everyone made the task so much easier to execute, and the challenges easier to overcome. Kindness is so underrated.