While many actors look forward to kissing scenes, Jimi Odukoya, who is also a pastor, has stated that he made a decision not to kiss in movies when he started acting.
Jimi, who is a son to the late relationship coach and pastor, Bimbo Odukoya, of the Fountain of Life Church, made this known in an Instagram Live chat with actress, Iretiola Doyle.
He said, โPeople told me I could not be a pastor and an actor at the same time. I was told to pick one and drop the other. When I first started acting, I said to myself that I would not do any kissing scene, but rather fake it so well that people would not know I was not kissing. However, perception is reality. Even if I was faking a kiss, people would still think I was kissing. So, I had a conversation with my dad and he told me there was a professional way to do it, that I did not have to stick my tongue out. That conversation actually gave me liberty.โ
Speaking on the pressure that comes with being a pastorโs son, Odukoya said,
โWhile growing up, I was usually in church every day because I had no choice. A lot of times, you hear that pastorsโ kids are bad to some degree. There may be some truth in that though because as a pastorโs kid, one is put on a pedestal that one did not ask for. One finds oneself being the moral compass for many people. People would tell one that oneโs actions and inactions affect oneโs parents and their ministry. There is actually a lot of pressure. When I went abroad to school, I didnโt attend church for the first two years. I was just doing my thing. My mum always told me that I would become a pastor but I used to laugh and ask her how that could be. Honestly, I did have my own days of partying and clubbing. When mothers say they want their sons to be like me, I tell them I have not always been like this. My mum has been dead for over 15 years, yet my actions today can still affect her legacy. The pressure never goes away. I came to a quick understanding very early in my life that one cannot please everybody and people always have expectations of how they expect one to be.โ
