She is to the Yoruba movie industry what Mercy Johnson is to Nollywood. Elizabeth Anjorin is unarguably one of the most vilified Yoruba actresses. If it is not her detailed bitter rivalry with another actress, then it is a hot gossip about a romantic affair.
Since her breakthrough in the 2007 Yoruba flick, Iyawo Ojokan, the Badagry, Lagos State-born entertainer has never looked back. She continues to climb her way up the rungs in the competitive industry.
The single mother of one who is still in a mournful mood after losing her 70 year-old mother granted EE this chat several weeks before the painful demise. She also spoke about other issues including her scandals, growing up and love life among others.

Those who know you closely say you are a very nice person, others say you are controversial, how is it possible to be simple and controversial at the same time?
I wouldn’t know anyway. You know being a star is just like being rich because it is not easy to get money so it is not easy to become famous. I give glory to God because when one is in the limelight people have a lot of misconceptions about one. People see a different picture but with time, God begins to promote one. They are fond of criticizing, they say all kinds of rubbish about one. If someone offends me and I give the person a piece of me, it ends there. I move on with my life. A lot of people are just not comfortable seeing others forging ahead. A journalist that picks a pen to write against a person can’t change the person’s destiny. If you call the person a murderer or a killer, in fact call Lizzy Anjorin whatever you want to call her, it does not affect me in the slightest way.

Unfortunately, if people see us and probably we are in a bad mood and the person is trying to wave at me and I am busy thinking about my life that is when the person will now say Kilonse, ko kimi (she is ignoring my greetings). Do you understand, that is when the person will start forming a wrong impression about me. Sometimes, I see this as trying to pull down what God has built.
So how will you describe Lizzy Anjorin?
I have a friend whom whenever he comes home he tells me that Lizzy, how I wish I had a hand camera to hide inside this house to show to people who don’t know. I enjoy cooking and when I do so I don’t eat alone. I call everybody including my mechanic, my neighbours, my friends to let them know that food is ready. Some times when I have a special dish, I even pack it for those that cannot eat it right here. If you paint someone red like saying Lizzy Anjorin is bad one day some people will say the same thing about you. A woman invited me and said ‘you are my clone, I love you, you are very strong’. And she is not a lesbian o, she is married with kids. I ran into her at the airport on my way to Abuja and she said to me, “Lizzy when you get to Abuja, try and locate me”. She said that she has been seeing all the bad stories written about me all this while. She said in spite of the negative stories, I have kept moving higher every day, wearing the best cloths and costumes. She wondered how people write a lot of bad things about me yet I keep shining every day and added that she envies me a lot.
So tell us about the scandal that broke you and how you cope with them?
Instead of pulling me down, those scandals as they call it has pushed me up. When they write a bad thing about me, I still see a lot of people who rise to my defence. They will say she is humble, friendly and accommodating. Even when they write negative reports and put it on cover page, those who trust me won’t pick it. They already know that Lizzy doesn’t drink or smoke irrespective of the rubbish anyone writes.
People from all over the world believe whatever they see on google.com but I wonder why Nigerian papers will still go ahead and put-up this damaging items on the world wide web. It is a shame for any person that picks his/ her pen to write what is untrue. When you write a scandalous story about somebody and it pulls down the person, does it make somebody see himself/ herself as a winner? I think such a person is a loser. I have heard people say ‘I like the way you sleep with dogs, please come sleep with me.’
Do the media know that they lose customers through what they write? For instance, one afternoon paper said that I was dating my colleague, Dejo Tunfulu. They said that he was sleeping in my car and since that day I have not been buying the paper and everybody that knows Dejo has refused to buy the paper. I am very sure there a few other diehard fans who will follow suit.
Is there anything anyone can write that will shake you?
There is no other worse story that can be written about any human being that they have not written about me.
What kind of a child were you?
I was a normal girl, very hard-working. I used to tell my parents that I have a talent to act inside me. Mummy would say you are the only child that I have. My family would say the same thing. But I would tell her that I will be more than 100 children to her and tell her that “I will buy you car, I will make this family proud.”
Are you saying that you were a good girl?
If you ask my uncle or any member of my family, the only thing I did was the normal pranks children do but I never indulged in anything that would embarrass me or my parents.
How will you describe your mother?
Ha, who could have a mother like my mother, she is very straight-forward and I must be very frank about this and I think I picked that attribute from her.
Tell us about growing up
I grew up in places in Lagos like Ikeja and Agege but I am from Badagry. My childhood was just normal as the only child of my parents. My parents were not radical, they don’t know anything about politics and they are not involved. My mummy would call me aside after watching a movie and ask if they gave me any tablet before I could act the part. I tell her it is in-born besides I am funny and I play a lot.
Did you have any inkling that you would become an actress?
No! All I knew was when I was young, whenever my mummy received a visitor, I would walk up to her and mimic how they talked to the point that if they are settling a dispute, I would re-enact everything that happened.
What was life like as the only child?
Then it was fun to me although there was nobody to share my bathing soap with or drag a piece of meat with me. Imaging my mummy going to shop every day, I have to get her sales girl and all that and whenever any development happens, they would call and put all the responsibility on my head. I was often left alone at some occasions when adults meet. No brother or sister to share with or throw banter. It was so lonely.
How did you get the role of your breakthrough movie, Iyawo Ojokan?
It was through late Durojaiye Ishola popularly known as Alasari. One day after several attempts at different auditions, he gave me assurance. He told me he would compensate me with a role and he did. I can never forget him. It was not easy, I would leave for Abeokuta all the way from my school at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU). I have been there since 2002 trying to find my breakthrough which eventually came in 2007. Since then, I have been playing lead roles in movies like Abidemi (Part 1 & 2), Abike Salaro and a lot like that.
What is the worst thing you can do for money?
I can’t do any worse thing for money. I can’t do anything extraordinary for money. In fact, I can’t kill myself. Right now, I am trying to combine business and acting together and I must confess that it is not easy my brother.
You won an award recently?
Yes, I won an award in 2010 but that was at the event tagged Celebrity Night Out. I was so happy, so much that until the die minute, I expressed my doubts to my publicist about winning the award. And he told me that it was not a do-or-die affair that if it doesn’t work out then we will return home.
What movie do you think weigh you down?
Yes, like three of them, however, I must add that I have done some wonderful movies. Let me say that, I have given my best shot to all the movies where I have featured so far.
How do you put yourself into mood for a role?
It is very easy for me because I am a funny and lively person. I don’t rely on any stimulant except that when I see the camera, something just takes over me. I become another person entirely. However, I set a goal for myself to always stand-out among the lot.
Let’s talk about rivalry in the film industry
I do my best and leave the rest to God. That is why one must always strive to give every task the best shot and I don’t rely on anybody. God will not come down physically to carry the rest for one but one’s job will make one to stand-out. I can’t act your role and you can’t act mine because I am destined and it is not everybody in this world that will have money, some are born to rule.
There have been news of a bitter rivalry between you and your colleague Iyabo Ojo
Well, let me assure you that there is no fight between us. We are only acting, meaning that we are following a script.
What do you do to improve your acting?
I watch a lot of movies including a lot of cartoons probably because I like to share that time with my kid. There is a lot of inspiration to draw from cartoons especially for a comedy script.
How about your social life?
I don’t like clubbing because I cannot cheat my nature. That would keep me awake all night and I don’t think it is good for my body. I just try to leave my natural life.
In this age when many actors have been endorsed by telecommunication companies, have you been approached by any?
Must it be a telecommunication network? I am a business woman and I don’t rely on any endorsement to move forward; if it come, fine. The truth about this endorsement thing is that people behind the scenes like your agent gets “cuts” from your efforts. There is a bigger endorsement which comes from God so with or without corporate endorsement, one can still go ahead and make it big in life.
You were still an undergraduate when you joined the movie industry, how did you cope?
Yes I was an activist, I was the number one girl in school politics during my time. I mean the most vibrant lady and I was a star so many of my former classmates are not surprised seeing me in the world of make-believe.
How do you relate with men?
I relate well with them, because sometimes where one’s girlfriends cannot trust one, it is the guys that can take one for whom one is. I will say that all my achievements in school were possible because of my male friends. When I was in 200 Level, I was already a big star and some people do talk to me but they don’t know me in person the name; Lizzy Anjorin always ringed a bell on campus.
Will you say you were lucky to have more male friends than female?
Of all the women, do you expect me to start flaunting my boy friend? I love my boy friend and he loves me too. But I am still single and we might choose to get married but you press guys wouldn’t know because you guys are deadly.
Where do you shop and what is your style philosophy?
My own philosophy of dressing is simple. The kind of makeup I do and the combination with my dress should not be too flashy.
Before I purchase a cloth, I make sure that the material is nice. I can shop anywhere it can be here in Nigeria or abroad.