Nollywood actor Deyemi Okanlawon has advised social media skit makers hoping to get into the acting industry to put in the extra effort to make their dreams a reality.
On a recent episode of the Echoo Room podcast, the actor was asked about his thoughts on social media skit makers who use the platform to break into the acting industry. In turn, he emphasized the value of patience and hard effort.
He started off: “If you’re ever trying to do anything different from the norm, if you’re known for something and you’re trying to do something different, it’s going to be difficult.”
“Nobody is going to readily roll over and allow you; I’ve learned that the hard way. So if anyone finds themselves in that situation, what I would suggest is to just keep that vision alive and keep working towards it,” Deyemi added.
Reflecting on his career, the actor recalled a time when he was typecast as the villain in films, and how he used the opportunity to demonstrate his variety rather than giving up.
“There was a time in my career when I was the bad boy of Nollywood; I was the villain and I saw it but I didn’t particularly like it. I wanted to play the loverboy, the good guy or the pastor, but they were giving me the villain.”
He went on to explain how his technique eventually convinced producers that he could be more than a bad guy.
“I said to myself, ‘This is the opportunity that I have’ to maximise this opportunity and so I took every villain that was ever asked to play and I made them so different and still so believable. They tried to put me in a box but I made sure I painted the box differently and I worked with what I had until people started to realise that I could do more,” he explained.
The actor urged people facing similar challenges to persevere in achieving their ambitions.
“I think that anyone who finds themselves in a situation where they feel like the path where they want to be is not readily available, I think they need to put in the extra work and it will happen,” Deyemi concluded.
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