My Stature Prevents Me From Getting Roles — Actress Jumoke Aderounmu

Actress Jumoke Aderounmu in this interview with Punch says thus: Background
I am from Abeokuta, Ogun State. I am the second child and I have three siblings. I was born and brought up in Abeokuta. My childhood was eventful and fun.

Education
I attended St Bernadette Private School, Abeokuta. Thereafter, I proceeded to Abeokuta Girls Grammar School, for my post-elementary education. I studied International Relations at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I graduated in 2009.

Acting
I became interested in acting after I took an elective course at the Institute of Cultural Studies, OAU, in my first year. It was there that I met a lecturer who told me that I would make a good actor. I did not pay heed to his observation until there was a strike action that lasted some months. During that period, I visited Lagos and my visit coincided with an audition by Tunde Kelani. Because I was much smaller than I am presently, he asked me to go back to school when it reached my turn to be auditioned. He said I did not look the part because of my stature. His statement challenged me and I refused to leave his office.

I sat at his reception until he finished auditioning other people. His staff graciously let me into his office again and somehow, I convinced him to give me a try. He sent me a script and a few months later, I got a role in Arugba. I played Princess Mobandele and that was my first major feature.

Challenges
I have a personal challenge and it pertains to my stature. I don’t see every other thing as a challenge because it is not peculiar to me. I am small in stature and because of that, I don’t get as much jobs as I ought to. A lot of times, I would audition and even take the final reading only to be told that I don’t look the part. It is only recently that my stature has been helping me to secure roles.