Tobi Bakre shares his challenging experience playing a gritty character in ‘Gangs of Lagos’

Actor, model, Tobi Bakre recently spoke about his experience playing the lead character of Obalola in the crime thriller ‘Gangs of Lagos’.

Gangs of Lagos’ premiered on Amazon Prime on April 7th. It is the first African original movie on the platform.

As a street King with a troubled past, Tobi had to engage in some difficult and challenging scenes, which required him to tear down his emotional walls and be vulnerable.

 I was now playing the role of a strong guy but then in the same movie, I had moments when I had to be vulnerable.

Bro, I had the toughest time. I had to tear my walls down.

Tobi

According to Tobi, it was his first time playing such a gritty character, and he had to resort to extreme measures like drinking multiple herbal bitters within a short span of time to help him access the emotions required for the role.

Despite the challenges, Tobi was committed to portraying the character authentically and even listened to sad music, such as Tiwa Savage’s ‘Celia’ song, to immerse himself in the character’s emotions.

You know those plastic herbal bitters ? I drank two within the space of five minutes. I just felt like I drank water because I didn’t feel anything. I was listening to the saddest music.

This is the song I always remember from Gangs of Lagos, Celia song by Tiwa Savage. It is a very emotional song. I wasn’t trying to fake it.

I needed to be actually sad, I needed to be there. So, I was putting myself in the scenario of this character.

Tobi

Gangs of Lagos’ revolves around Obalola, Ify and Gift – who see their adoptive father murdered. They join a gang. With the start of election campaigns, the three friends are drawn into gang wars that drive them to fulfill their destiny.