By Christy Anyanwu
Although she started acting in her teenage years when professionalism in the industry was top-notch, she endeared herself to many for her roles in outstanding productions such as The Cobweb, Olokiki Oru: The Midnight Sensation, and Test of Love, among others. She has set herself apart and, today, she is a household name in Nollywood and beyond.
Foluke Daramola-Salako is a seasoned actress. She was nominated for Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a supporting role in 2013.
Aside from acting, Foluke also anchors events and she is master of ceremonies on some occasions. She is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, and the founder of Passion Against Rape in Africa Foundation.
In this interview, she speaks about her mum, who passed on in March 2025, how much she misses her and the impact she’s had on her life and career.
Tell us about your late mother?
My late mother, Mrs. Aderonke Daramola, nee Osobu, retired as the vice principal of a high school. She was also a reverend. She went to theological school and got a doctorate in Theology before she died.
What do you miss most about your mum?
Everything! I miss her presence. I miss her words. She was my only true friend. I will miss everything about her; that’s the truth. Her prayers, most importantly. She was there for me. My mum was my prayer warrior. She was all that I ever asked God for in a mother. My mother lost my father when she was 38 years old and she never remarried. She was a disciplinarian, though we used to fight a lot, especially if I wanted to do some things that she didn’t want me to do. She was still my best friend.
Given that you started your acting career early, what was your mum’s perception about acting?
My mum didn’t want me to do it at all. In fact, she was vehemently against my acting. When I started acting, I was in Palace, the soap opera, which was where I started. When the teaser was shown on TV, she said, “Funke is this not you?” I said, “Mummy, it is not me o.” It took the intervention of my mentors for her to allow me do it. I promised I would turn up right, I would turn up a good woman and that I would not lose my rules. She agreed but insisted I would go to school. My mother was someone that believed strongly in education; that’s why she eventually went for her doctorate degree.
When we lost my father, my mum went to Unilag to do her degree. She used that to while away her time. When my mum lost her first son, she went to theological school to do her PhD. My mother always used education to kill her low moments. When I had issues with my first marriage, she told me to go back to school, and that was what I did.
What role did your upbringing play in shaping your roles in movies?
We used to be church people. My mum would always take us to church. Our recreation then was church-church-church. Then we were in the choir. Our church was Shepherdhill Baptist Church, Obanikoro. We were in the youth drama and we did some short dramas. That shaped me to know I had a flair for acting. When I was about 11 years old, I was asked to model for a lolly pop brand and when Mortal Inheritance came out, I fell in love with Omotola Jalade. I looked at her as a role model, being almost the same age with me, and I saw what she did. So, I felt it would not be a bad thing, if I ventured into acting myself.
You are still in acting till date?
Yes, though I have started producing, directing as well, but I still act.
What advice would you give to women, especially those in the entertainment industry, to stay true to themselves and navigate through challenges?
First and foremost, be prayerful. Contentment is key. The entertainment industry is a very expensive one, if you understand that. But I’ve managed. I built my capacity to manage early. You should be able to navigate funds judiciously. And you can still come up with creative outfits, creative things that might not cost an arm and a leg. And you’ll still be able to represent like your other colleagues.
And then it’s a different ball game. Real life is different from the entertainment industry. Do not take showbiz into your real life, because it can never be sustained by anybody. It’s not about the money, it’s not about the beauty, it’s not about the glamour. Leave the entertainment industry when you are at home, and get real; understand that you are a wife, a mother and a daughter.
So, when you are on set or you are into showbiz, you are an actress, you are a celebrity, you are everything. But when it comes to the other side, understand that you are still that first person that you were before you became a celebrity.
In your free time, what do you do to keep your mind off acting?
I play Candy Crush, I read, I lounge with my family, I watch movies. Before my mum died, she loved me cooking for her. When she was sick, she stayed with me for about five years. So, she would tell me, Foluke, I want you to cook for me. She loved me cooking for her.
When did she pass on?
She died on the 9th of May.
Most of people in the entertainment industry are crazy about fashion, hair, shoes, etc. What’s your own fetish?
Hair. I love hair. I also love wristwatches and I love bags.
What lessons have you learnt about life?
Be true to yourself. Be humane. Always try and impact your environment, your community. Be content. Most especially, be prayerful. Have a personal relationship with God devoid of pastors, devoid of alfas, devoid of babalawo. Just have your personal relationship with God.
There’s this notion that people in the entertainment industry do all sorts spiritually to blow, Ajoo, to succeed; have you encountered such things as a person?
I don’t know where that’s coming from but I know that, at the end of the day, we all have our beliefs. I am a Christian, some are Muslims, some are born as Ifa priests, some are born as Sango priests. We come from different roots and backgrounds.
Just because we are actors does not make us immune to our community. We are still in the same community as others. So, whatever way you feel that you want to communicate to your God is definitely what you would do. For me, I am a Christian. If I go to the mountain, if I go and pray on the mountain, or I go to a white garment church, it doesn’t mean that I went to do Ajoo. It just means that I went to pray to my Maker.
I am speaking for myself. I don’t know about what others do and I’m not privy to that.
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