Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon has advised skitmakers aspiring to transition into acting to put in extra work to make their dreams come true.
Okanlawon, who was a guest on the Echoo Room podcast, was asked for his opinion on social media skit makers using the medium to break into the acting industry. In turn, he emphasised the importance of perseverance and hard work.
He began, “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 movies, and how he took the opportunity to show his versatility rather than give 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 explained.
He further explained how his approach eventually made filmmakers see that he could be more than just a bad boy.
“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 narrated.
The actor urged those facing similar obstacles to remain steadfast in aiming to achieve their goals.
“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 opined.
