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| Sexy Bryan |
Hot, sizzling and more-hot are just a few words to describe Bryan Okwara, the first ever winner of the Mr. Nigeria pageant in 2007. As a model, Bryan Africa and America 6 feet 1” model with well-chiseled abs and an attractive face is a favourite for magazine covers and has graced the covers of magazines such as WOW, Bloke, Shakara and Greenland .
Five years after winning the title as Mr. The “Bryan
Tell me about your journey across your different careers – TV presenting, modeling, acting…
I originally started out as a model, and coming from back then, it wasn’t anything to look forward to. And then, I went in to NIGEZIE and started working as a TV presenter for a couple of years before I went in for Mr. Nigeria
You’re quite famous for TV presenting, modeling, dancing and acting. Which one do you feel more comfortable with?
Surprisingly you haven’t mentioned it. I have a passion for singing. If you hear me in the bathroom, you’d think I was Michael Jackson. My manager is pushing me to go to the studio but I haven’t done anything yet. I’d love to sing R&B.
So you’re still just a bathroom singer (pun intended)
Honestly, I really love singing.
The Nigerian modeling industry is more saturated now than when you started out with a lot of new models and new faces. How do you remain relevant as a model now that you have more people to compete with?
You have to be very consistent and hardworking. You’re not getting any younger, any fitter, any faster so you have to train yourself. But with us experienced models, we’ve been there and we know what the clients want so it gives us a little bit of an edge over the new models.
Mr. Nigeria
You entered for the Mr. Nigeria Pageant during its maiden edition which was a time when male pageants weren’t as popular as they are now in Nigeria
Initially, I didn’t want to go for it because I thought I wasn’t cut out for it. The image I had of a Mr. Nigeria was someone who could speak all the Nigerian languages, someone who was very Nigerian in his ways, had tribal marks and stuff like that. But a lot of people advised me to go for it. I went for it and saw that it was actually bigger than what people perceived. They take someone who is an all-rounder. I won the competition not by myself, but because a lot of people brought out things in me that I really didn’t know that I had.
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| Bryan with some of his award |
What was your experience like during your reign as Mr. Nigeria
It was amazing. I won Mr. Nigeria Nigeria
Getting On to the Big Screen
How did you get your first movie role?
My first movie was shot in South Africa Nigeria
You had a lead role starring alongside Ini Edo in “I’ll Take My Chances”. What was it like working with her?
It was a really great experience. Ini is a five star actress. If you are acting alongside Ini, you just have to be good because if you are not, her reaction to you would make you sit up. She is the kind of person that will be laughing with you one minute and when they say “action”, she is another person. Working with her at an early stage of my acting career has been a blessing because I got a lot of grounding with her.
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| Bryan grace the cover page of WOW Magazine |
What informs the choice of movies you agree to be cast in?
If the script has a very great story line and I can see myself being that character, I’ll do it. If I don’t like the story, it would show in my acting because throughout the movie, I would be forcing myself to be that character and I won’t do that.
A Peek into the world of Bryan
I doubt that you studied acting in school. What course did you study?
I studied International Relations part-time at the Lagos State University
When you were younger, what did you dream of becoming in future?
I always wanted to recycle. I wanted to own a company where I could recycle stuff like bottle, plastic, paper. When I was little and anything spoils in the house, I take it and I keep it; so if you were looking for anything that was broken or spoilt, I had it. I always thought I could bring them back to life.
Where did you grow up and what is your family like?
I grew up mostly in Satelite Town Lagos America America Paris , Turkey Bulgaria South Africa Dubai
What is your definition of a beautiful woman?
A woman who is comfortable in whatever she sees herself in. A woman who exudes confidence whether she’s slim, fat, not attractive; a woman who is not oppressed easily.
And what is her beautiful name?
Her name is Bunmi Ademokoya.
Are there any plans of you taking your relationship with her to the next level?
We’ve been dating for over three years. There is no point being in a relationship with someone you are not committed to. We are committed to each other and we are just going to give it all we can.
You have a physique that most guys would envy. What do you do to keep fit?
When I was in South Africa Nigeria
When was the last time you had a hair cut?
It was in late 2008. After I won Mr. Nigeria Nigeria
Did you just decide one day to grow your hair or was it more like an experience you later felt comfortable with?
If you are going into a career in the entertainment industry, you have to evaluate yourself and see if you are marketable, find good selling points that would make people take a second look at you. So when I was going into modeling, it was one of the discussions I had earlier with my people and they said- “give it a try”.
We are used to seeing you in your traditional corn rows. What informed your choice of your new hair style?
I make my hair at Hair Whispers Den somewhere in Lekki and the lady that runs the place is really talented, she became my personal stylist. And she looked at me and said “Bryan
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| Bryan and Bunmi Ademokoya |
How long have you had this style on?
About a month and a week ago.
How much do you spend on your hair every month?
Not more than N20,000
Nigerian men are now more fashionable than ever before. They are wearing colours that were formerly strictly for ladies and getting really daring with fashion. What do you think is responsible for this?
The fashion industry now is something you can’t do without; it is something that has pronounced itself. Men of before would want to keep the conventional black suits, short hair, but now we have embraced a lot and now with the way things are done now, we are getting there. We have created a really huge niche in the fashion industry and those who dare to be different have stepped up. We are now embracing it.
What is your own fashion style like? What informs your choice of dressing?
I dress to impress. Sometimes I just want to look different, sometimes presentable, sometimes I want to dress to the occasion and not look apart. There are some designers whose attention to details fits my taste. Designers like Mai Atafo, House of J’Ola, Iviano Signatures.
Tell me about your most embarrassing moment
I went to the ATM to withdraw money and I forgot I had spent some money in my account such that it was less than what I wanted to withdraw. I met a long queue. When I was tired of standing, I sat for a while but when it was almost my turn I got up and a lady who had taken up my position and got into a mild argument with me. Eventually, I had my way and went to the machine only for me to punch in the amount I wanted to withdraw and got the message “insufficient funds”. The lady who was standing right behind me saw the screen and burst out laughing “Ha ha ha, he no even get money sef”.
What was your most romantic date?
Valentine’s Day in 2009. I was in New York
First kiss
I was 13. We didn’t know what we were doing; we were just doing what we see on TV.
