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From Nigeria, With Love: 1on1 with Folake Olowofoyeku (BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA)

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Created by Chuck Lorre (Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men), Bob Hearts Abishola tells the story of Bob Wheeler (Billy Gardell), a divorced man who runs his family’s successful sock company out of Detroit. When the stress of the job causes him to have a heart attack, he finds himself immediately drawn to his kind, hard-working Nigerian nurse, Abishola (Folake Olowofoyeku). Though the two could not be more different, Bob and Abishola’s relationship slowly begins to bloom as they both learn from and celebrate one another. Asked about her experience as the latest piece of the Chuck Lorre legacy of network comedies, Olowofoyeku asserts that his professionalism and expertise makes the process both easy and fun.

“It seems seamless working in [what I call] it the Chuck Lorre universe,” she begins. “I’m a sci-fi head so I think that’s appropriate terminology for all that he’s accomplished in this world. Considering that he’s been at it for decades and has been at the top of his field doing it, coming in it’s just like walking into a well-oiled machine. Everyone on his team works and functions efficiently and are experts to what they do, including himself. He’s a genius. Just watching him work, he comes into the room and knows exactly what you need to do. It makes my work easier as an actress. I’ve got it really easy so I must have built up some good karma. [laughs]”

However, despite Lorre’s history of creating comedy hits, Olowofoyeku also claims that she was able to bring her own ideas to the creative process in developing her character.

“Everything apart from the words on the script, everything about the character has been my choice,” she points out. “I guess they trusted me to execute and deliver that properly. But I was informed by what was written on the script… Most of the roles that I embark on, I look with any script for information about the character and then I develop her based on that, like the way I pronounce ‘Bob’. There was something in the script that was very specific to Abi’s reaction to the American name. So, I thought, I can’t just pronounce this in a Western sort of way… So, I said, ‘Okay, if [the way] I’m pronouncing Bob gets a reaction like this and I have to build a story around why I pronounce Bob in a certain way, that also informs the way my accent should be for the character.”

“Also, in the back of my head, I’m thinking that I don’t want her to be too much of a caricature. So, I have to find a balance between the two worlds having a strong enough accent to justify why I pronounce Bob [that way] and still not being caricature of my people. After finding a way to meld those two characteristics together, I then later on have to think about how to make it more intelligible for our audience. The way I’m going to approach the accent of the character in Nigeria… specifically geared to Nigerians is very different than I will an American [audience]…” 

While Olowofoyeku feels that she and Abishola have very different personalities, she also believes that they both contain an inner strength of character.

“[Abishola and I are] extremely different,” she contends. “We have the fundamental things in common. We’re both Nigerian, both raised in Nigeria and then we made the move to America at some point in my life. But, I’m a lot edgier and crazier than she is. I’m not as strict. Certainly, I’m not as devout as she is. I certainly wouldn’t push my child to become a doctor because that was done to me in a different way and I don’t think that’s right. That being said, we also have a tenacity and a strength. There’s a tenacity and strength that I see in women. I grew up [seeing that in] my mother and my auntie–both Nigerian women–and all women, really, But, in molding this character, I drew from characteristics I’ve seen in Nigerian women growing up.” 

Having immigrated from Nigeria herself, Olowofoyeku has some understanding of what it means to start one’s life over in a new culture. Nevertheless, while she believes that the show’s depiction of the immigrant experience remains relatively realistic, she also argues that her character’s journey remains quite different than her own.

“It cannot be accurate to my [experience] because my set of circumstances are completely different from Abishola,” she argues. “I moved here my own, I didn’t have a child and I didn’t move in with family… So, it wasn’t similar in that regard. However, I do think it’s still authentic. It’s authentic for those particular set of circumstances. It’s very common to see a Nigerian move to a foreign country and move in with family members that already established themselves there and, in an effort to save money, house together so that the income is based on whatever they’ve all got. So, I think it’s extremely realistic. And I see the dynamic between our Abishola and her Auntie and Uncle as realistic as well. There’s a lot of respect that’s shown in the Nigerian family, regardless of who’s right or wrong and the younger always respects the older. You see that with and Abishola. Yeah. So, it’s not specific to my situation, but yeah, I think it’s definitely an accurate depiction.” 

In the midst of the current global pandemic, Olowofoyeku remains passionate about the safety and well-being of those within her home country of Nigeria. As a result, when she was approached by the One Campaign to join them in the call for greater health care, she jumped at the chance to help.

“We’re just starting off this relationship,” she beams excitedly. “Obviously, with the current climate in the entire world, I was wondering how I could be of use and helpful. I was looking for ways that I could be involved a little bit more hands on than just a donation or a couple of words in a post here and there. I really wanted to be involved. [The One Campaign] came to my team and mentioned some of the work that they’re doing and I had an opportunity to talk to them. I was really excited that they were working specifically in Nigeria because I would like to be able to help in whatever way I can. I’m really looking forward to see what we can accomplish together. I like that they’re that’s focused on keeping governments around the world accountable and make sure that they’re looking out for the low income, more vulnerable sectors. They also have a petition going on right now on their website, One.org, and it would be awesome if people could go on there and sign up. (You can access the petition here.) That helps them approach different… governments around the world to make sure that they are providing proper health care for their citizens, especially during this time.” 

Since the current health crisis has caused much of Hollywood to shut down, it comes as no surprise that Bob Hearts Abishola would be affected as well. Although last week’s episode was dubbed the season finale, Olowofoyeku reveals that the season did not end as intended as a result of interruptions due to the current pandemic.

“[That was] not the finale. It’s the last one of the season unfortunately, because we had to stop shooting,” she clarifies. “We were two episodes away from the actual finale. That wasn’t going to be the finale. In fact, we were halfway into the second to last episode and were just about to start filming… If we do get to season two, and I’m really hopeful that we will, then those two episodes will be the first two episodes of the new season.”

In light of this, Olowofoyeku also has idea of what she’d like to see from the series as they move forward. Should they get the chance, she believes that their series has the unique opportunity to give the viewer a window into Nigerian celebrations first hand.

According to Olowofoyeku, “I don’t know if it needs to happen in the second season but I think it would be great to have them go to Nigeria and explore what it’s like landing at the Nigerian airport and have a wedding. Nigerian weddings last for days. We have an introduction, the white wedding, the traditional wedding. We have the Thanksgiving. It’s like a week-long festivity. I think it would be great to find an episode to each other’s days. That would be marvelous. We’ve never seen anything like that before, shooting an American show on foreign soil. I think that would be great. It’s mind-blowing, really… I think our crew and cast would have an amazing time of Nigeria. With the festivities, it would be so much fun.”

For full audio of our interview with Folake, click here.

Bob Hearts Abishola is available on demand now.

The Biggest Loser’s David Broome: This Briefcase Could Change Your Life (Interview)

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briefcase-cbsLast week, I tuned in to CBS’s The Briefcase, figuring that the premise might serve up a sermon illustration or two. In the premiere episode, a family is surprised with the delivery of a briefcase holding $101,000. They are told that the money is theirs, and they can decide how much of it to keep. Whatever they don’t spend will go to another family, but they don’t know that the other family was given a briefcase, too. Today, I sat down with Executive Producer David Broome (The Biggest Loser) to talk about putting the show together, the hopes he has for it, and some of the critical backlash.

Broome has made a career out of “transformational television” as he calls it, as NBC’s The Biggest Loser has tracked the inspirational changes in people working to lose weight since 2005, with 186 episodes under its belt. With The Briefcase, Broome says, “Unscripted television works best when you can sit there as a viewer and say, ‘that’s me. That’s my husband, wife, brother, neighbor.’ I wanted to do something that talks about values and what matters most in life. I started with the analogy of scratching off a lottery ticket. If that’s our starting point, you always hear these stories about how these winners are miserable, that the money wasn’t everything. Money doesn’t buy happiness.”

I asked Broome how they put the two main components, the people and the briefcases full of money, together to make the show. “I wanted to do it with middle class Americans, not the very poor or the rich. They didn’t know what we were doing but we said, ‘this money is yours but there’s a decision that goes with it.’ So middle class was the first criteria, with around $66,000 as the average household income. Tonight’s episode with Josh and Susan, two little people, they make $73,000 a year but struggle to pay the bills every day.”

“We wanted to talk about finances but we asked questions like, ‘Do you and your husband argue about money? Do your religious and political views come into play? What kind of people are you?’ The thing is, the show, as you saw, has so little to do with the money. I think it hardly has anything to do with the money. It’s about love and communication and finding a common bond – it’s about all of the things you find in community, and in America.”

The six episodes feature $202,000 being given away weekly. Broome says that money is straight from the network, not sponsor-provided. The money might not be the heart of the show but it’s definitely the issue people were raising, and this executive producer has gone to Twitter, Huffington Post, and blog by blog to engage people in conversation. He’s obviously proud of what the show is doing but he’s willing to engage in conversation with his critics, too.

dave-broome“We were the number one show last week,” Broome says. “Our fans want to watch it with their families and their children. But there are a lot of people who jump on their blogs, cynical people in the media like me before I did this show, who haven’t seen anything more than a promo.”

“The people on our show are not poverty stricken; we’re not pitting them against each other in some kind of game show competition. And every time I’ve reached out to the people [criticizing the show] who will talk to me, they’ve admitted that they haven’t even seen the episodes. That’s frustrating! But the conversations have been good.”

I asked the Californian from Long Island what had surprised him about making the show, and he admits that the show has had more of an impact on him than anything else he’s done. “I found faith in humanity that I never expected,” he says. “These families, it wouldn’t have mattered if I’d popped in unexpectedly; every single day, these families are making sacrifices for their children, for others. Whether it’s not to buy expensive meat so their kids can have music lessons, or sending money to aid people after an international earthquake, these people who don’t even have money to give but are finding a way to contribute.”

Broome was a marketing and communication major at Hofstra University on Long Island, but after visiting California on a family vacation at thirteen, he knew he had to move there. Starting in sports talk radio, he finally branched out into reality television and formed his own company, 25/7 Productions. He knew he wanted to do something different, to tell stories, and reality television was beginning to soar.

“I thought a lot of reality television was just ‘trainwrecky.’ It’s hard to make feel good reality TV shows because no one wants to buy them because they won’t show something without drama or conflict. I’m okay with that as long as the show ends up with a socially redeemable aspect,” Broome says. “My shows either cut into the zeitgeist of what’s in our country or our homes, or what I think is coming down the road.”

families“I’m very motivated by moving an audience. I love making people cry and people laugh. I love affecting people by the stories I’m telling. I’m no prophet but I’m trying to change the world. I believe that reality TV at its finest can inform and educate in a non-preachy way. Those are the shows I want to do. Then I can be proud of what I’m showing my nineteen and twenty-one-year-old daughters who want to follow in my footsteps. I tell them, ‘You’ll have to deal with conflict all the way but be confident in what you’re doing and be able to look at yourself in the mirror.”

I found myself sucked into the show’s first two families last week but I quickly recognized For King And Country’s “Fine, Fine Life” playing in the background of one of the songs. While some of the situations did make me one to ‘tear up,’ proving Broome successful, I was also aware that faith played a role in the decision-making… and the set up. This proved to be one of the more surprising things for the experienced producer.

“Music is a very important part of all of my shows; I’ve been a musician since I was a kid. When I’m putting in songs with lyrics, I want them to match up with what you’re seeing. I want it to be part of the experience. I don’t want to bang it over anyone’s heads but it’s very deliberate. “

“I didn’t realize how much faith would impact every single one of these families. Even the families that are not terribly religious. Next week’s episodes is a Christian, very conservative, Texan, Bible belt family; everything they do is in prayer. But even the North Carolina family in the premiere, they stopped and just prayed. I’m almost positive that every single family stopped to pray together. That was a surprising thing.”

briefcase“I had asked them in advance, ‘Do you regularly attend church? Is there a priest, pastor or rabbi involved in their family?’ Except for one family, we have one Mexican family who have a close relationship with their priest, none of them said they did. That showed me how much faith runs through everyone’s veins. It’s heartwarming at every level. I think that’s where the show is grounded at, and why it is so real.”

Tune in tonight to catch the second episode of The Briefcase and then leave your thoughts below. For folks who get caught up in the narrative, keep an eye out for Broome’s next project on NBC, which is currently casting. S.T.R.O.N.G. (Start To Realize Our Natural Greatness) will do the opposite of The Biggest Loser, which gets obese people to lose weight. Broome says that they’ll “take the every day person who gets up and wants to take on the world, and help them transform their body and their mind” in the aspirational competition series.

No matter what happens, David Broome’s shows will definitely make you laugh and cry. Whether you’re changed by what you see… that’s up to you.

First Look at CBS Supergirl

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supergirlWhen it was first announced that CBS was taking on the pilot for Supergirl, I was shocked. Considering the CW’s success with Smallville, Arrow, and The Flash, one would have thought that Supergirl would fit in right with them (especially since it would be a female-led show). However, CW passed and CBS decided to get in on the comic book phenomenon and today they give us our first look.

It’s a long trailer, but we are able to get the feel of the show. One thing is for certain, it is not completely aimed at the comic book community as a whole. Most male fans probably won’t tune and I can see actual Supergirl fans (male and female) ignore it, too. But if CBS can capture their 2 Broke Girls fans to tune in, this show will succeed.

It is definitely a coming-of-age show that will fall under comedy with some action thrown in. Can Melissa Benoist carry a show on her own? Although she was on Glee, it didn’t seem like the new crop of cast that she was a part of captured the magic of the original cast.

So, what did you think?