As a diminutive actor, Kumawood’s Yaw Dabo has been limited to the roles he plays; he is often limited to playing a child, and a stubborn one at that.
However, he says he can play any role given to him and his size should not be a hindrance.
“I can play any role given to me by any director but I am very choosy when it comes to accepting roles. There are certain roles I refuse for personal reasons but the fact of the matter is that I can play any role any tall person can play.
“We make movies to educate and entertain so I am very cautious about the kind of roles I play. Imagine me accepting certain roles which won’t go down well with children who are watching,” he told Graphic Showbiz recently.
Dabo, who has been in the movie industry for nine years, said the decision to go into acting was one he took on his own.
“I took my own decision to go into the industry. I didn’t allow my size to discourage me, neither did I allow anyone to discourage me. Even my mum discouraged me when I decided to go into movies but I was not perturbed,” he disclosed.
Sharing his thoughts on what it takes to survive in the movie industry, Dabo said, “Always tell yourself that you are unique in whatever field you find yourself in, it’s a learning process but you need to be humble. I had to take very meagre artiste fees at the beginning of my career but I didn’t give up and rather polished my talent.”
Dabo also spoke on the seeming dwindling fortunes of the movie industry, saying people were more fixated on English language movies than those from Kumawood.
“In that case, who will speak for those of us in Kumawood? The government should build a cinema for us in Kumasi like the National Theatre in Accra where producers can show their movies and reap from their toils; that will help the industry.
“The TV stations are not helping at all, they show a lot of foreign content at peak times. If the government should put in place a policy for them to show only Ghanaian movies, it will go a long way to help.
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“Social distancing will not make it possible for us to shoot now because of the nature of our work. We usually act in close proximity to one another, hug, visit, etc. So I guess the industry will have to be on hold for now till the coronavirus pandemic is over,” he said.
Aside from acting, Dabo is also into football and he currently manages an Accra Hearts of Oak player called Daniel Barnieh Afriyie.
“I used to play football myself but my stature didn’t help me. I have plans of opening an academy after the pandemic, so corporate bodies and individuals who would want to sponsor me can come on board. I will very much appreciate their support,” he stated.
Dabo, who said he had also made some good money from TV commercials, called on corporate Ghana to give him more commercials as he was willing to charge reasonable fees.
Delving into relationships, Dabo revealed that he was single at the moment. “I used to date in the past but I am not at the moment because I am into ministry now doing kingdom business. That doesn’t allow me to do a thing like that,” he noted.
He concluded by urging people to be careful even as the lockdown put in place by the government over the coronavirus pandemic had been lifted.
“The lockdown has been lifted but let’s continue to follow the precautionary measures and stay safe. God loves Ghana but I don’t think He loves us more than He loved Job, but look at what he went through. God will certainly take us through these trying times, let’s just trust Him,” he said.