“We’re definitely planning a wedding and it’s going to be an intercontinental one, obviously, because one family is in Nigeria and the other family is in America, and they’re going to sort through all of that,” Olowofoyeku told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “I won’t tell you if the wedding happens, but I will tell you that it’s a pretty powerful episode. It’s going to be unexpected.” When the episode opens, Bob (Billy Gardell) and Abishola realize the perfect date for their wedding is in just three weeks and they enlist their family and friends to help plan their big day, but can they pull it off? Whatever happens with the wedding in the finale, we have a feeling they’ll make their future work. And Olowofoyeku has faith in them, too. “I think they work because they’re good people,” Olowofoyeku said. “They’re loving, hardworking people. They have strong values, positive values. The only thing that seems to be different about them is where they’re from," she said, referring to their backgrounds–Bob’s a white businessman and from Detroit, while Abishola is a single mother from Nigeria. “Otherwise, everything melds together beautifully.” In our conversation, Olowofoyeku talked about everything from learning the ropes as the star of a sitcom to her dream of starring in a sci-fi/adventure/fantasy movie. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity
Billy has had series before, but this is your first time being the lead on a show. How has he helped you through this?
He’s an amazing man. I didn’t even know how I would have gotten through this without Billy and Eddie Gorodetsky, who was one of our producers. Eddie took me to the set of Mom before we started shooting the pilot and literally broke down everything for me: how a sitcom works from crafty down to the set, how it’s rotated, explaining the audience members coming in and out. Eddie taught me everything. I don’t know what that experience would have been like just showing up on set without that introduction because everything moves so fast. And then Billy, Billy is like one of the best guys. I pray, I aspire to be like him when I grow up because he’s so patient, so kind and so thoughtful…He’s constantly bringing me back when I zone out. He’s perfect. Even all the way down to press. I remember the first press we had over in New York, and I was like, “Oh, yeah, I got this, I got this.” And then we hit the carpet and all the lines and the questions, I froze for a second and he stepped right in. He’s just very gracious.
In addition to a comedy, this is the story of an American immigrant family and how much they contribute. Do you think portrayals like this can change minds about immigration?
I think it goes without saying. Television is global. Aliens might even be watching it out there somewhere in the universe [laughs]. And so, sometimes it’s the first introduction a person has to a community or people that they wouldn’t otherwise meet in their daily lives. The images we see, the voices that we hear, the stories that we hear, and we watch, and that’s all instantaneous information about people that you can’t get on a one-on-one basis, depending on where you live. So, I think there is a responsibility that we have in the entertainment industry, and I think that our producers and our writers are taking on that challenge in depicting an authentic portrayal of a Nigerian family. It humanizes immigrants in general. There’s a lot of rhetoric and there’s a lot of catchy phrases that are thrown out toward people who migrate here looking for a better life, but I think it’s really important to understand why a person might choose to leave the comfort of their home, what’s familiar to them, and venture out. And I think that with this or any story that highlights immigrants and anybody in general, authenticity is important. This story is a universal story. We’re specifically talking about Nigerian families there, but it’s a universal experience for people who leave their country looking for a better life.
Abishola is such a specific character. Did you know co-creator Gina Yashere before, or did you have to audition just like everybody else?
I auditioned like everyone else. The way I knew Gina was, I knew her girlfriend in passing in Brooklyn. After the audition for the role, she hit me up on Facebook and asked me to come read with Gina for her role as Kemi. That was my first time meeting her. I went to help out with the audition. I actually knew of her. I’d seen one of her characters that had gone viral in Nigeria, but that was the extent I knew of her. Same thing with Chuck [Lorre]. Obviously, I knew Two and a Half Men, but I’d never watched it religiously. When my agents were telling me about this, they were so excited, and I was like, “Who?” I didn’t know the magic. I didn’t know the magical world I was about to step into by getting into the Chuck Lorre universe. I hadn’t heard of anybody in the show before. It was a regular audition. There was no indication that it was an audition that was going to change my life.
Abishola has those gorgeous braids, but in real life, your hair is short. How was the decision made that she would have braids?
That was actually my choice. I didn’t know I was going to have to stick with it forever. My hair was actually very long for a very long time. And then I cut it a few years back and I’ve just hung out with the short hairdo since then. I switch it up a lot. I go blonde. I just do interesting stuff to my hair. The reason I visualized that hairstyle was because I knew she had to have natural hair. That was a given. What I felt about the character, I wanted her to be traditionally and authentically as Yoruba as possible, and a great representation of that is to bind your hair, which is a very Yoruba tradition and something we actually had to do a lot of growing up in high school. When I went to boarding school in Nigeria, I swore when I graduated that I would never braid my hair again, ever, because we all had to braid our hair. Not only that, but every week they gave us a hairstyle, and you had to do the hairstyle. If you didn’t, you’d be punished. You’d be beat with a cane, or you’d have to kneel down, something ridiculous. So, I swore that I would never, ever braid my hair again. As soon as I graduated, I was like, “That’s it.” But when Abishola came around, I was like, “Gosh, I have to do her justice. I know what the right thing to do is for her.” And there was a particular hairstyle I thought would fit the character. And so, I sent some pictures to the producers and I said, “This is the hairstyle that I want her to wear.” And they were cool with it. But nobody told me that in the world of sitcoms that things remain the same for as long as possible. The pilot wasn’t a wig. The pilot was my hair and some extensions. So that took six hours to get it done. It was pretty brutal for the pilot because I had to get it redone three times in a row because it wasn’t done right. So that was about 18 or even more hours I spent getting my hair braided for the pilot. And then because of that, I asked the producers, “Hey, can we please look into a wig because this has taken its toll on my hair already?” But we have a good idea of a hairstyle to explore. I have a great lady doing my hair, Tamra, and the head of our hair department, Dwayne Ross. We’ve got some dope styles in the works and we’re ready to pull it out as soon as we’re allowed.
Have you ever shared stories of your own upbringing with the writers for the show? Is there an episode that’s a reflection of something that happened to you growing up?
They’ve never asked that. I actually wouldn’t mind that. I think it would be a great idea because I definitely have stories for days about my experiences in Nigeria. There are similarities between Dele (Travis Wolfe Jr., who plays her son) and the fact that I wanted to be an artist and my parents were against it. Abishola is actually more lenient than my parents were. Although, they eventually came around.
Speaking of your parents, I read that you come from 20 kids.
My mom had four. I’m the fourth. I’m also the last–the 20th of the 20 kids. My father had other wives.
So maybe they were a little bit more lenient by the time you were born…
Obviously, they were, even though they were still tough, but they definitely were. I have a brother who graduated from med school and then my father told him to go study law.
And what about your interests? Do you still play music?
I consider it a hobby that I love very much. It’s my passion. I’m constantly making music and, unfortunately, there’s a lot of trauma attached to it for me because of my experience coming up. But it’s something that I’m still being pushed by some divine force to pursue. And so, I’m trying to honor that voice and just take steps in that department.
Is there a dream role you see in your future?
I’m a sci-fi head. I love fantasy/adventure, so I would love to do some of Octavia Butler’s stuff. I’d love to do some of Nnedi Okorafor stuff, like Who Fears Death. I’d love to do the Marvel franchise. Those things are action, adventure, fantasy. That’s the world I love.
And you have the physicality for it. You could play a superhero.
I always thought that would be my breakout role. So, I was always preparing for it with Krav Maga, Israeli martial arts. I was always anticipating that. Thankfully, I dropped into the world of Chuck Lorre, and that’s great. In theater, though, you have to be as versatile as possible. So, I’ve done Shakespearian comedies. I’ve done a whole bunch of comedies onstage. The season two finale of Bob ♥ Abishola airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Next, get all the scoop on NCIS: Hawaii.
