By Danson J Kireti
No one is born great. We achieve greatness. We choose our paths. The world is not your mother’s womb. It welcomes you unpleasantly. You cry in your birthday suit. You don’t laugh. It is cold. One cringes. Fold your knuckles. Get ready to face life. This world is not for sissies.
A thin line exists between real and raw talent. I simply distinguish raw as uncultured while real is refined. Raw is natural and can be mastered quickly. It is an innate ability. Some say it’s having a persona of a complete idiot, yet spontaneously displaying signs of genius. This could have been the perception Dorothy Ghettuba, Head of Spielworks Media had of one rookie by the name Brian Ogola.
It is a late overcast afternoon and I finally managed to nail Brian on an extended lunch break at the Spielworks offices. He wears that far flung look of a caveman back home without a kill. His lips dry and body weighed down by the burdens of the day. His clean shaven baby face turned old. He is tired from shooting and memorizing lines. Work as lead actor in a hectic drama series is no joke.
Brian from set shooting Jane and Abel
We enjoy the view from the large window panes. The traffic is light on Waiyaki way and the trees in one line of sight are in bloom. It contrasts somewhat sharply with the heaviness that Brian bears. He drops a pile of scripts on the table and as if on a director’s cue, starts narrating his journey thus far.
Brian Ogolla started with stage plays. Coming across them was not easy. Acting was dignified. He could hardly land any decent acting roles. He had been a participant in the Actors Monologue Challenge {AMC} and held the runner up position three times unbeaten winning once. AMC is an event for Kenyan actors battling out in stage performances. “I was the runner up on the very first AMC. I was nervous; Dorothy Ghetubba was on the panel of judges. I had never seen her before. I only knew of her as Spielworks Media CEO”. Brian Ogola holds the trophy after winning the AMC .
Lies That Bind was the top billed show then. Every aspiring actor wanted to feature in it. Brian was dying to join the band wagon. He watched the teasers when it premiered and was ready to trade his life for a role. On screen, he started off as a supporting cast. Today, as the lead actor in the soon to be aired TV drama series Jane and Abel alongside established screen siren Lizz Njagah, it has clearly been a long walk to glory. “As a beginner in the film industry, you sit without a line one day and utter something the next day. That is the way it is .My role in Jane and Abel is not by fate. It’s my sweat and blood. I was persistent in what I believed in”. His commitment to acting is like Einstein’s to physics. His introduction to Spielworks Media was by chance. He met a friend Daniel Mwendwa who played Abdi in Lies That Bind. He was informed that Maqbul Mohammed’s role in Lies That Bind needed a replacement and he was a look-a-like. “He introduced me to the director Simiyu Barasa. I landed a supporting cast roles but Maqbul’s place was not for the taking”. Extras see such roles as mere procedures. Start from the bottom. In this industry you take the staircase not the lift. From left Maqbul Mohammed and Daniel Mwendwa both of Lies That Bind
With time he matured and landed spotlight roles. Then his fortune turned. Spielworks Media had a new show coming up ‘Jane and Abel’. Auditions were held at the Kenya National Theatre. He did not audition for fear it would jeopardize his chances at Lies That Bind. He only helped in handing out the casting forms to the auditionees. He had no intention of taking part in the auditions. The turnout was low; he was given a chance to showcase his best. A promise of a feedback was given and he did not think much of it. The shortlisted guys went for a second audition at Spielworks offices in Muthaiga. Dorothy was present unlike the first time. They gave their best and left to eagerly await the outcome. Brian received a call two months down the line. It’s like Spielworks read his mind. It had been a long wait. He got the role of Ben. Brian arrived at the Spielworks offices in high spirits and ready to sign his contract, Dorothy stopped the process ordering and asked him not to sign the contract. “My spirits were killed. I knew I had lost that role. I felt down and walked away like a scolded child” A day after his ordeal, he received call from Ndanu Kilonzo{Head of Production}. It was heaven sent. He had been cast as Abel and not Ben. Kevin Samuel, a seasoned actor who was initially cast to play Abel was a no show. “I can never thank Dorothy enough for believing in me. She gave me a second life to be the best I can ever be”. “My role at Spielworks was a life line. I have been nurtured, shaped, formed and encouraged and I am getting better with time just like wine” concludes Brian Ogolla.
Catch Brian Ogolla on Jane and Abel ; showing on Dstv’s Maisha Magic Channel 161 every Wednesday to Friday at 10PM