Speaking in a candid interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, published on YouTube on Sunday, Franklin revealed that while his father was alive, he was completely absent during his childhood — a void that exposed him to negative influences.
The actor praised his mother, Mrs. Joy, for her resilience as a single parent, saluting women who raise children alone. However, he stressed the vital importance of male mentorship in a boy’s life.
“As a kid, I had my woman shege. It is not easy to be a single parent. My mum had to go to work. Not having a father figure is quite difficult.
Maximum respect to women out there taking care of their children by themselves.
But you need a man in your life. If you do not want to get married, you need a brother to play that role. For boys especially, you just need a father figure,” Franklin said.
“I was into girls, drugs — by drugs, I mean cigarettes. Drinking beer at a very young age. Coming back home completely wasted,” he confessed.
Despite the pain, Franklin said he has chosen forgiveness and now views his father differently.
“My dad is good, but he was not in the picture. I see him now for the man he is, not the man he was. I have forgiven him.
Nobody is perfect. I just honour him for the human being that he is,” he said.
The actor credited his mother for molding him into the man he has become and urged teenagers to seek positive role models to avoid destructive paths.
“The man that I am today, and that I would continue to be, is because of Mrs. Joy,” he added.
