Actor Bolaji Amusan is a native of Gbongan in Osun State. He had his childhood in Abeokuta, Ogun State. He attended Army Childrens’ Primary School, Abeokuta, and had his secondary school at Gbongan High School, after which he relocated to Abeokuta, where he started working. Bolaji Amusan, popularly called Mr. Latin, has written his name in the sands of time and consequently become fans hero whom they largely patent their life after.
“Mr. Latin, is my role model. Whatever he does always inspires me. He has been able to depict roles given to him effectively and this has really helped me since I look up to him in many things,” says Fola Animasaun, a movie enthusiast residing at Orile Iganmu, Lagos.
Another enthusiast who spoke to Daily Newswatch is Kayode Akinyode. According to him, “Mr. Latin is scandal free and from every angle, he’s worthy of emulation. Have you heard any scandal about him?” “No,” he answered himself. “That’s Mr Latin for you. That’s why he is special. He has taken comedy to another level and I’m proud to look up to him in shaping my life,” he says.
Bolaji Amusan has definitely come a long way in attaining this cult status among fans and according to him, the profession that earned him this great affection from fans came as the will of God in the sense that, he didn’t crave for it at the beginning.
He says, “I never had the intention of acting. In fact, I hated it and dreamt of being a footballer instead. I loved Segun Odegbami and wanted to be like him. But each time I played football, I came back home with injuries which I would nurse for three days. I just concluded that I was not destined to be a footballer. Later, a friend of mine, who observed that I love to talk, dragged me into the industry. He invited me on the set of a movie and I started to act. I still love football anyway.
Sharing his humble beginning, Mr Latin further said, “I didn’t start as a comedian. I used to have a landlord; he is late now. I regarded him as the original Mr Latin. I was very close to him and I always liked to mimic him in the midst of my colleagues. I would ask them to come and listen to what my landlord said today. Then around 1990, my late oga called me and said, “Can you mimic your landlord in a film?” I said I could. My landlord used to be a liquor distributor. He was a very nice and blunt man. He always believed that two multiplied by two was equal to four, nothing more, nothing less. Each time he acted funny, he would call me to sit down and learn. He didn’t know that I would mimic him then. He just saw me as a young man who should learn one or two things about life.
He also spoke on how he got the name which has been a big part of him in achieving this role of a role model. He recalls, “When I ventured into comedy, we had actors such as Baba Suwe, Baba Sala, and so many others. Then, I was always speaking big grammar on set. One day, a man on set asked if I was speaking Latin and everyone laughed. The name stuck and I decided to be calling myself Baba Latin.
In similar vein, he spoke on his trade mark comedy roles in movies. According to him, it is what is trending now. “The current situation in the country is responsible for this,” he says.
“There’s tension everywhere in the society. Imagine someone who had worked all day, experienced traffic gridlock on his way home, you would not expect that he would get home and see a movie where actors are too serious or weeping. Then, how are we influencing the lifestyle of viewers? We are to make people laugh and be healthy. It is a good trend and I am proud to be part of those who make people laugh,” he said.
Mr Latin also tasked aspiring actors on dedication. He says, ‘the movie industry is not as rosy as you think. The first step is to be dedicated. You don’t run into acting because of money, you will never make it. It takes the grace of God to be successful in this industry. We have actors who are not known and they are making money. Ironically, there are other aspects of filmmaking that fetches more money than appearing on the screen. My advice has always been to have a good source of income before delving into acting. That way, you can survive before becoming a star.
Latin who regretted not having sound Western education strongly believes that his children would make up for their father’s educational inadequacies. He says, ‘Yes but they have to be educated because that is the only thing I missed in life. I thank God for where I am today but I miss education. I am comfortable, I have a job, I have cars, I live in my house but I never had the opportunity to serve my country as a youth corper. That uniform alone to me means a lot. That is why I want to make sure that my children are very highly educated to do what their father missed.
My name is femi from babcock university Sir am a young guy with talent in acting,have got different award in my school I still want to pursue my talent in acting field Sir I will b happy nd great full if u can help me achieve my goal sir