31 years after her career-changing movie, ‘Mortal Inheritance’, was first screened, Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has reminisced about the movie and the path it paved for her.
With over three decades as an actress, Omotola has starred in some of the most acclaimed movies in the industry.
Some of those titles include: ‘Lost Kingdom II’, ‘Blood Sister’, ‘Alter Ego’, ‘Ije: The Journey’, ‘A Private Storm’, ‘Ties That Bind’, ‘Last Flight to Abuja’, among others.
However, the movie that put Omotola in the public eye was the 1995 production, ‘Mortal Inheritance’, a film about sickle cell anaemia and its attendant complications.
Feeling nostalgic, Omosexy, as she is fondly known, took to her Instagram stories to share some previously unknown trivia about the movie.
Down memory lane
Taking to her Instagram Stories, the actress noted that although her first big films were the 1995 productions, ‘Venom of Justice’ and ‘Flaming Passion’, ‘Mortal Inheritance’ from the same year became her breakout movie.
“It was a tough audition for this role. I had just come off another tough audition, one of the biggest I’ve seen in Nollywood till this day, for a movie titled ‘African Queen’.
“Thousands from all across Africa came in for the audition—a movie to be made by the legendary musician Mike Okri and Zeb Ejiro. I eventually beat thousands to emerge as the lead character! I couldn’t believe it,” she recalled.
Although she said that the movie was never made, it got her the golden invite to compete against already established cast at the time.
‘Mortal Inheritance’
Produced by Nu Metro Home Entertainment, ‘Mortal Inheritance’ stars Omotola as Kemi Johnson, a sickle cell patient who defies the societal expectations that she would not live past a certain age.
She falls in love with Chike, played by Fred Amata. As their relationship progresses, they discover that Chike has the AS genotype, making him a mismatch for her.
The movie also stars established actors such as Kunle Bamtefa, Abiola Atanda, Bob Ekarika, Emma France, Akenn G, Emeka Ike, Obiageli Molube, Ifeoma Nevoh, Sam Obiakeme, Mike Ogbonnaya, Victoria Ohamobi, Caroline Okpei, Mbadiwe Orji, and K.C. Ukwuagu.
Omotola’s role in ‘Mortal Inheritance’ earned the ‘Best Actress in an English Speaking Movie’ and ‘Best Actress Overall’ at the 1997 Movie Awards.
She was the youngest actress in Nigeria at that time to win this.
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde
Born 7 February 1978, Omotola has appeared in over 300 films, selling millions of copies.
She launched a music career in 2005 with the release of her debut album titled ‘gba’.
Some of the singles from the album include ‘Naija Lowa’ and ‘The Things You Do To Me’.
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Her unreleased second album, ‘Me, Myself, and Eyes,’ had Paul Play and Del B as producers.
In 2013, she was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
She was honoured by the Nigerian government in 2014, when she was appointed a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) for her contributions to Nigerian cinema.
In 2024, the actress revealed that she experienced a health crisis that left her fighting for her life.
