Today we’d like to introduce you to Omalolu Fiki.
Omalolu, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It actually started in Spanish class. I was a Business major and Spanish minor; A classmate asked me to be in The Vagina Monologues. I didn’t know anything about theater and never heard of this play so I turned it down thinking it was going to be some X-rated type of show. She begged me to reconsider and slipped the script into my backpack. I read it and loved it. So I was one of the hosts my sophomore year and ‘Angry Vagina’ my junior year. And from that point, I knew that was “it.” I mean, I kind of always knew acting was it. As a kid and admittingly as an adult, I’d walk around my room, performing monologues (not knowing what they were called at the time) and re-enact scenes from tv shows and movies (not realizing this wasn’t typical behavior). Anyhow, I ended up graduating with the business degree but the night of my graduation, I spontaneously moved to NY with my best friend to pretty much pursue my dreams as an actor. Honestly, it even caught me by surprise!
I had no craft/technique, no knowledge of the business nor any connections. I had no idea how anything worked. But I had determination and openness to figure it out. Plus a little of what Paul Coelho (love The Alchemist) would call beginners luck; I booked the first thing I auditioned for which ended up being my first professional job after graduating. It was educational theater at its core and I learned so much. But there was still so much I didn’t know, so much mystery, so I went to grad school to learn a technique.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think great art is like giving birth. It can be quite painful and nauseating and frustrating and incredibly emotional but the end result is something so complex, dynamic and miraculous. That is how I feel about my life as an artist.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I love creating and being a part of stories that explore all the complexities and nuances about identity. I am currently working on my 2nd play, that explores identity at its core. So excited when it will be time to share with everyone!
But I just finished my most recent project, __Told Me *The Talk. Check it out on Youtube:
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think luck and chance is fun to believe in, I love the idea of it but I really believe God knows what God is doing and everything is purposeful and nothing is by chance.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: actress_unfiltered
- Facebook: Omalolu FIki
Image Credit:
Jim Carmody
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