Funke Akindele opens up on her career struggles starting out in Nollywood

In an interview with Arise News, Akindele, known for her roles in both English and Yoruba films, revealed that her journey wasn’t always smooth. The turning point in her career she said came when she worked on a project with the actress Ayo Adesanya.

She said, “When I didn’t get roles in English I got frustrated. So I was on a project with Ayo Adesanya, and I told her that I don’t have roles and she said, ‘I’ll talk to a producer, and I will have you on board for Yoruba movies.’ And she spoke to the producer and I was invited to come and act in Oshogbo then.”

It was from there that Akindele met key industry figures such as Fathia Balogun, and Iyabo Ojo.

“From there, I met with Fathia Balogun. I met Iyabo Ojo and I told them I need roles and Iyabo said, ‘Okay, come come.’ She took me to the Odun Fakoko where you have the Yinka Quadri and Taiwo Hassan. She said, ‘This is my friend. Give her a job,‘” Akindele said.

However, Akindele wasn’t handed a significant role at the time. She talked about how her experience with the Yoruba genre was valuable in teaching her the intricacies of filmmaking.

“They didn’t give me the big role. I actually launched myself with my own production. I wrote it, I produced it. But I learnt a lot from the Yoruba movie genre; how to produce. I was always focused on the cameras; how things were moving up and down, I was always checking the cameras, checking the props, checking everything, asking questions,” she said.