Nollywood filmmaker Biodun Stephen recently discussed her collaboration with Kunle Remi on her latest film, Muri and Ko, during an interview.
Stephen commended Remi for his unwavering devotion and strong sense of responsibility towards his portrayal of Muri, a character that she characterized as being disorganized or chaotic.
She highlighted the extent to which Remi went in order to fully portray his character.
“Kunle Remi would come to set, he never had his bath, so he always looked as if he just woke up from sleep with all of the marks on his face. He always looked dirty. He always made sure that he looked like a miscreant. It’s just a testament to how far he was willing to go and we didn’t regret it.”
The movie tells the tale of Muri, a thief who steals a car only to find out later that there is a child inside, portrayed by Fiyinfoluwa Asenuga.
Despite the fact that there is a ₦10 million reward for his capture and he is on the run from the police for kidnapping the child, Muri and the youngster develop a close bond.
The film is a joint effort between Mo’ Fakorede, Inkblot Productions, and FilmOne Studios.
Stephen also provided details about her approach to writing the script and selecting the cast, highlighting the significance of energy and connection.
She said, “If I write something, I’m coming from a place of energy, when I write something, I put myself in the entire film and I send it to you, I don’t want to beg you for feedback. I feel like I can sense your energy”.
She also called a well-experienced actor to whom she handed her script. This actor read it thoroughly and offered comprehensive feedback.
“I just sent a script a few weeks ago to a veteran actor and he was like, ‘I’m on the plane send it to me let me read it,’ and he read it in maybe 45 minutes and he sent me a long note. I can’t afford him but I’m looking for the money to afford him. That is how I know you’ve connected because if you give feedback it means that there’s something that you see, you want to do it, there’s something about the film,” she stated.
Stephen said that she enjoys collaborating with actors repeatedly, as she is constantly looking for new aspects and contributions they can bring to the project.
“That’s my process. I work with people repeatedly”.
Her ability to observe is an important factor in how she chooses people.
“I’m just always very watchful, I’m very observant. I can feel your hunger because I’m still hungry so we need to be on that same hunger level for us to deliver 100%,” she said.
