Nobody Stereotyped Me With Comic Roles Because I Am A Comedienne – Helen Paul
Helen Paul is an entertainer that has so many sides. She is a comedienne with a distinct voice, an actress, producer/ director and also a Lecturer. Let’s go on this journey into her world as an all round entertainer in this exclusive interview with Samuel Orji
For a while we have not been seeing you on standup comedy shows. What’s happening?
I have been doing some shows but because sometimes I travel to do many things, you have to understand time and season. When it’s the Christmas or November season sometimes I make myself available for shows because I am around. So everything has their time and season. I have been doing some comedy shows because I am even producing my own.
You now do more of soaps than movies, why?
I am still doing movies once I am given scripts, I do. Maybe we have not seen much of the work I have been shooting. I was in Nigeria, I think two months ago to shoot an indigenous movie in Ibadan. So I am working and I am still active and when people call you, give you the script; you read and if it’s something that you like, you take it.
Because you’re a comedienne, most of the roles you are cast in are comic roles. It appears some producers are in the habit of stereotyping you.
There’s nothing like stereotyped. I think when they are casting they will look at the whole script and say this person can play this role. I have done Jacobs Mansion, where I was not a comedienne but a bride to the rich man finally. I have done other movies where I played the role of a child. As an actor they will look at you and cast you where they know you fit in very well.
Unless if you are doing your own movies, you can now use it to tell people that you can do this or that. It’s not stereotyped but they believe that such a role is what you can do very well. They’re aware that you are not just a comedienne; you have other aspects of your life. We all see Whoopi Goldberg; they will not give her a girlfriend role because they know she is very firm, we know the movie where she acted as an instructor, where she is firm and strong will.
It’s not only just in our country, I think when they’re doing their casting they just feel because when you see some people, you see they are all around, they act like king’s even in real life. They know because I have done many things I didn’t do anything comic.
Maybe because of public perception, the way the viewers have already placed you in their mind as a comic actor
We are there to satisfy the audience and if they feel like why are they using Helen Paul for serious roles that means I have been able to do well. Remember acting is about keeping your viewers in suspense and disbelief and that suspense shows that you are still doing a great job. They never see you as being serious. You are not serious but you are getting married, you are not serious, your children are growing and you are building houses. Then it’s good to be serious, let’s enjoy the suspense and the disbelief.
Tell us about your professorship
I worked with a school and it was time for promotion and they did. It’s a promotion not that I went to write exam.
What happened to your music career?
For me, I just believe that you have lots of gift in you and everything must find expression not necessarily monitoring everything. I just like to record my songs and let people listen to it and get inspired. For me, singing is more of a hubby not a career. I am just expressing myself and I am that kind of person that believes that every gift of God in a man should find expression.
You are not pursuing it further
I am still singing, every of my songs are online. If you check Tiktok and YouTube because I am a full thespian and as a full thespian; you are a singer, dancer and writer. I have my books on Amazon. All my drama books are on Amazon published. It’s not that one is not moving. I write, sing, produce and do many other things and that’s why you will not see me posting the school where I am teaching because that’s another part of me.
You are not permanently based in Nigerian again?
I will say most entertainers are people that are not permanently based just in one place. The world is a global space, so when you’re invited to different places you go. It’s not necessary the audience know your house and home address and the family where you live, you just keep working. It’s a global space.
Has that your child-like distinct voice ever caused embarrassment for you or somebody misrepresented you to be a child?
Luckily for me that was in the past, but of course now the audience is aware that I am acting. They understand this and sometimes you still don’t want to leave that space, she is acting even with all she has achieved I am not sure she is 36. I like that, I don’t see it as a embarrassment but that I am doing a good job; for me to put the people on suspense that person that means I am doing well and everyone believes they’re older than Helen Paul. I am always enjoying it because if you are the child and they are older than you, you will gain a lot. They buy things for you and I am enjoying it and I still want to believe that I am still a young girl, they’re not embarrassing me. They are just being the senior and they should enjoy that space of a senior.
Has that child-like voice affected the kind of jobs you get maybe from corporate organization?
For us to say corporate organization that means they’re sound and educated and they’re not working based on what they see on the social media. They must have investigated and done research on you. I have not had such experience with any corporate organization and I have been doing great work for them. I do a lot of corporate events, conferences, award ceremonies, staff appreciation services and do many corporate events. I have not had such issues with them.
Do you think the movie industry has done well to attract the likes of Amazon, Netflix and others to invest in Nigeria motion picture industry?
What I like about them is that they are not sentimental, they are business people and for them to tap into Nollywood that means there’s more we have that’s doing well. Yes, I will say we’re improving for them to keep coming to us. We are improving in our storytelling techniques from the camera angle, editing, directing style, presentation by actors and I think the movie industry is doing well, showcasing the country and improving in every aspect. We will keep improving, I am not saying that we are now perfect.
You have tasted the two worlds abroad and here. You have seen how movies are produced. Where do you think we have shortcomings?
For me, I have not seen any shortcomings but I think that we are now collaborating more between Nigerian and many other countries. The world is a global space, so everyone is seeing what each other is doing and they know where each other’s weaknesses are and they can pick it up and adjust. I don’t see weaknesses; I see more of collaboration which I see as the main business. For them to tap into the movie and entertainment industry in Nigeria that means the country is doing well in terms of entertainment.
You are among the old brigade of female comedians but it seems you don’t have young female comedians who want to take over from you guys. What’s happening?
I don’t feel that someone will just come and take over like that. It’s also the same with you as a writer and I have known you for years as a writer. Can we ask, why are the young writers not taking over from you? There’s nothing like taking over because everyone is growing and don’t forget that now the young and the old are now collaborating. There are young people coming up, doing great work, it’s just to see how we celebrate them more. There are many people; we have lots of other ladies.
They might not use the same style or technique. They might not just be standup comedy, there are still other means they crack jokes and they are doing very well and we add different elements to these things. We are using the same elements but speaking in different ways. I will not agree that we have old people, how old I am that you will say I am old. I am not old. We started long time ago but I am still very young and the other ladies are still doing well.
The coming of skits seems to have reduced the impact of standup comedy. Do you agree?
I don’t agree with you because standup comedy is still very viable and it’s still a sort after event. Those ones are doing the motion picture part which we can have on the mobile phones, but the standup comedy is more like a stage performance. You can’t say one has killed the other because they are not in the same level. You cannot watch live standup comedy from the comfort of your room. You go to the theatre to see the show, except if they are streaming it live which is what a lot of them are doing now. We have comedians doing their shows and they are streaming it life through the social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and some even go through TV stations where they will be streaming live and you watch. They’re different but the main goal is to make people laugh, entertain, educate and inform.
An older comedian said the young ones are just picking and refining their jokes. Most of them just climb the stage to insult people in the name of jokes. Have you observed that too?
I think that’s his own personal opinion and the shows he has attended. I carefully select where I go and the people I relate with, we don’t have that issue. Maybe that’s what he encountered the place he has been to. I have not gone to that kind of show and I don’t understand what he means by picking their jokes because you have the right to call the person and talk to them or maybe look for a way to sort the issue out.
For me, I just know that people are observing the society and whatever they observe they re-enact on stage using storytelling techniques and the skit to tell it and using their none verbal communication to communicate. I have not experienced that neither can I generalize and say oh the younger ones but I can say that you have right to your opinion. Maybe that’s what he has experienced
You are among the old breed comedian’s, how are you realigning with the current style.
I think the same thing is applicable to you the journalist, how are you realigning to the new order. Everything is still the same it’s just the same way we are both are relating.
Take us back to some of your stage performances
I have done a lot shows luckily we are in an era where nothing is hidden because everything is all online. If you Google Helen Paul they are there.
How are you joggling your role as a mother, wife, your teaching job and entertainment career
To the glory of God it’s about having the right people around me and this has really helped me and family has been really helpful. The school, I don’t have to go all the time because most times I do my teaching online. The school is more of a online school than physical. For the entertainment, it’s not Monday to Saturday that you are working back to back. There are times we have nothing to do and there are times you have things to do back to back and you do it and you make a time table. It’s more about understanding your time because there’s no time to waste or I have to go for this or that, if it’s not necessary it’s not necessary.
Having the right people can really be helpful. Writing my books and after writing, I dropped it for a good editor, and he brings it back and it’s coming back beautiful, so it’s more of a collaboration. When we work together, everybody looks like a genius.
Sometimes you have someone organize a show and you are a performer, you go there and perform, by the time its coming out everything is beautiful, you as an actor, producer, the stage manager, the sound engineers, the DJ’s and usher etc. everything is collaboration. That’s what I think that’s has been really helpful, which is having the right people and understanding what to do with your time. Understanding how you make things work.
You high and low point as an entertainer
I am yet to tap into the high point of my career. I am still up and coming I am still learning. For the low point is that things are really expensive now in the country, there’s economic meltdown everywhere in the world.
Do people see you as comedian in everything?
I have experience such but I don’t feel bad about it . All you need to do is to use that comic style to communicate your message. You just have to change your style of communication. What works for you is what you will do
Where do you think government need to make in put in the entertainment industry to help it grow more?
They should help the country to be better. Invest more in education, we are just reenacting what’s happening in the society. From education, Agriculture, Health care facilitate so that we can interpret good face of our country, the government should help us, they should make thins easy, the safety of the society is paramount.
