that everyone wants to associate with. He is one veteran actor who is
still very much relevant in the industry today because of his high level
of professionalism.
Though he is from the Laniyan royal family in Osun
State, Antar was born in Lagos by a man who was a supervisor at the
Federal Ministry of Education. He grew up in Army Barack and this,
was the attraction that made actor initially showed interest in
becoming a soldier in future. He later went to the University of Ibadan,
Oyo State to study Theatre Arts.
Below are excerpts of the interview he recently had with City People.
What is the secret behind your relevance in the industry as a veteran actor?
The secret isn’t farfetched, the only thing I know about myself that
I think has been keeping me going is self-discipline and self-control.
In life, you get to a certain stage and ask yourself what do you want,
immediately you get the answer, then you can now talk about how to go
about it. Some people have done it before, and this is where they are,
so how do you now take your step so that you do not fall.
Then, I put 2 and 2 together and I said to myself that it is not
every 2 and 2 you put together that will give you 4, it could be 22. So,
what is going to be my weapon? Discipline. I don’t drink, I don’t
smoke, neither do I womanize. I had gotten to a certain stage that my
Doctor warned me to go and have sex. What I hold on as weapon is
discipline.
I don’t say because you are a beautiful woman and I know what it
takes to have you lie down on my bed and I take advantage of you. I
don’t do that. I say to myself that If I sleep with her, she gets what
she wants and she becomes a star, how do I look at her after stardom?
What if I need her help thereafter? Of course, she wouldn’t want to help
me because I didn’t just make her popular, we have done a trade by
berter. I wouldn’t want such to happen. My son met somebody in Texas and
he was like this is an artiste, he walked up to the person and said my
dad is Antar Laniyan. The person was like what? Tell your dad you are
with me, that is the kind of thing I want.
How many years have you spent in this vocation?
Professionally, okay let me say I met Ben Tomoloju in 1980, we
started Kakaki Art Court. I remember we opened Channel 7 in 1981, as an
amateur I started a age 15, following artistes all around, when I met
Ben Tomoloju. He asked me because he was a teacher at Saka Tinubu
Memorial High School we go to all these schools’ competitions and he
asked me, boy, what you are going to do after your secondary school.
I said to him that I wanted to further my education and I wanted to
be a soldier. His response was that I don’t think you will do well in
that profession. Even my school Principal said the same thing. He told
me that he believes that I will do well in theater if I go into it. This
is because of the awards we have won for the school when we go out for
drama competitions. He was so sure that he will hear more of me in
future but it is rather unfortunate that the man died before the future
came. He was Dele Alake’s father. M.O Alake was my Principal. I wish he
is alive today to just witness his prediction come true.
What was the attraction before you decided that you wanted to be a soldier?
I was living in a Barack. My mum was chief mammy market. In Army
Barack, they have mammy market and she was the chief then at Ilaro, Ogun
State. Seeing them in the morning when they go on parade, I happened to
be the small boy that will take their food to them. So, I go attracted
to that, but each time I mentioned it, my mother will cry. I just knew
that that was all I wanted.
What really influenced your movie character because you always look so tough?
That depends on the role the director says I should play. If you want
me to play the role of a gate man who is so poor, of course I will but
when you bring your script to me, the first thing is to know what the
story is all about, then you first ask yourself a question “IF”, I am
this character what do I do? If you can ask yourself this question then
you will achieve it. If Antar is this man what would he do? You read the
action of other characters towards that role and you blow it up.
What really differentiates the Antar we see on TV to the one who is talking with us now?
I know 3 Antars. At times I ask myself which of them is better. There
is Antar the father, Antar the ordinary man on the street who doesn’t
ignore people because he is a star. I know Antar that will pack and give
people hand shake because probably they appreciate what we are doing
and I will not ignore them. The other Antar is the father at home who
does throw pillows with his children. We are like 3 boys in the house,
we play together and ignore mummy. That alone causes problems at times.
We are 3 boys and she is the only woman at home. The 3rd Antar is the
actor that sees himself going to locations not to wine and dine but to
fight a war that he must win. You go to the war, you fight, you win and
when you are watching the film, you ask yourself that will this style
still be working in 20 years to come? If you can’t say yes, then you
have not achieved anything.
So, you also review your acting skills?
You have to because if your new film isn’t better than the last one,
then you have not achieved anything . Because the same tongue that says
you are the best will say he is falling down. Anytime you say that was
fine, you have given me a challenge. If you say fine actor, you are
doing well, I love the film you did last especially the way you
interpreted your roles, you have given me something to worry about
because that means the next one I am going to do must be betters,
otherwise that same you that says perfect will come to say imperfect.
Having spent more than 3 decades in the industry, would you say you are fulfilled?
If you say have I achieved happiness I will say yes but monetarily
no. then, Yoruba adage says “Owa Owolo, Opade Iyi Lona”, even if you
have the money isn’t to earn yourself a respect? That doesn’t mean that
someone appreciate what you are doing and I won’t I appreciate him in
returns.
Where were you born?
I was born here in Lagos and I remember mum said I stayed in the womb
for 18 months, because she got pregnant for my father when he was in
Oduduwa College. There was another lady who was interested in my father
but according to my dad, he was also not aware that the lady was in love
with him. My mother was probably faster than her and she didn’t take it
easy with her. According to my mother, she almost lost her life in the
process. In those days, you won’t sit and be watching a pregnant woman
carry a pregnancy for 18th months, they have to go out for
According to my mother, she almost lost her life in the process. In
those days, you won’t sit and be watching a pregnant woman carry a
pregnancy for 18th months, they have to go out for solution. It was
during this finding that my dad was told there is somebody they have to
apologize to. Along the line, they got the person and after many
apologies, she explained my mum’s offence. Then, she recommended that
they should look for an animal called Antar {Goanna}to prepare
concoction. Immediately my mum ate it, I was delivered.
As at then, does that make you a special child?
When I look at the 4 boys she had, she treats me specially. She said
she will not call me any other name but that Antar. According to her, I
know what I saw, I know what I went through before I had you.
Which schools did you attend?
I went to Ansarudeen Primary School, late I moved because my dad was
working with the Ministry of education, and they were transferring him
from one place to another, and I had to be following him all around. I
schooled in Lagos, Ilaro, Ikere Ekiti and the rest.
When it got to secondary school, I came back to Lagos and I told him,
daddy, I am not following you anywhere again. Following him all around
really affected my education. Meanwhile, being a supervisor in Ministry
of Education, he was popular. He had the chance to say put him in
primary whatever, but my daddy will say no take him back, I got tired
of that and said daddy I will stay in Lagos and that was all. I went to
the University of Ibadan to study theater arts.
Did you work anywhere before?
Not at all. I got married so late because I got married to acting. I
didn’t even remember until when it was getting late for my mum that she
had to untie her headgear and say look at my head, what is the problem
with you? I didn’t remember that I had to get married.
Lately, there are lots of errors in most Yoruba movies, what is responsible for this?
Funds! You and I know that there is no how you can make a good film
in 4 days. It is not done anywhere. If you must achieve anything, you
have to work 18 hours in a day and work 4 days to get it done. But
because there is no sufficient funds, you have to work with the ones you
have at hand. If you want to shoot today and the weather isn’t good
enough, you can ignore that day. We can spend 3 months making a movie
but by the time you calculate how much you hired the equipment for a day
and you calculate it for 30 days, and the movie will be sold at Arena
N400,000, that is not a business.
We need to go beyond premiering or going to cinemas before you can
realise our money. We need to take our movies across to the state or
country where they don’t understand Yoruba, get a distributor and sell
master copy to them and make more money. But principally, you premiere,
call your friends to come and donate that is how you get your money
back. You can’t make profit if you shoot a movie and sell directly to
the Arena people.
You don’t produce movies like others, why?
It is because you know that when you spend heavily on a movie and you
take it to Arena, no matter the amount you must have spent on it, they
are going to buy it less than half a million. To me, that doesn’t make
sense. So, I will just sit and pick up scripts from those who need my
service. I have hope that someday things will change. Stage play will
resurface. For example, our mothers who come on a visit from the
village, you buy several films for them to watch but now, that mama will
tell you don’t buy films because Africa Magic is there.
That means that they are not going to buy films again. And Africa
Magic has a certain amount that they will buy your film. And they will
not even take rubbish from you. The hope now is that, if cable TV like
Africa Magic are everywhere and they say bring soaps, bring 52 episodes.
If they think you are doing well they ask for more. If they are paying
you N30,000 per episodes, by the time you multiply it to that 2, you
will know what you have at hand. If they are showing it every day, that
calls for more and all that. That is the only hope I believe we still
have.
How does your wife cope with the pressure of seeing you going to locations at all times?
The thing is that she knew I was into acting before she married me.
She wanted me to achieve because I remember that time when she
complained about a movie I did that I played the role of a husband and a
woman played the role of my wife, it got to a point where we had to hug
ourselves. We did, but when the film came out, my wife was saying you
didn’t hug and kiss her very well, I said really? Don’t worry. That is
why I will say I have her support. She said I didn’t do it right because
I was trying to guard myself. She said it is my job and I have to do it
right..
What was the attraction when you met her?
That is another aspect of Antar, I am a very shy person. In those
days, I couldn’t ask women out. I and Araosan were sitting together at
the National Theater Lagos and I saw a lady going in to watch a film and
I told Araosan that this babe is beautiful, he said you that you don’t
know how to toast, go and sit down. I never knew, he just stood up and
approached her on my behalf and when he came back, he said the babe you
said you want is very tough. She said even though you are Antar Laniyan
the star, can’t you come by yourself.
I saw that as a challenge and I walked up to her when she finished
watching the film. I told her that you said can’t I come myself? She
said ,yes because if you are man enough, you should walk up to a woman
and ask her out, not that you will send a messenger. That was all. She
later found out that I am a shy person.