How Funke Akindele, Kunle Afolayan changed my story – Deyemi Okanlawon

Deyemi Okanlawon has opened up on how not having a huge following on Instagram stunted his career as an actor.

In the latest episode of the Echoo Room Podcast hosted by Quincy Jonze, Okanlawon said that he had been rejected so many times by producers because his social media presence wasn’t impressive.

“Not having Instagram followers hindered me. I’d tell myself, ‘I’m the guy who comes to kill himself on set. Why am I being judged by the number of followers I have?” he said.

“I said to myself, There’s no point fighting it.’ There’s always going to be a new set of people who focus more on the brand than they are on the craft. So I said, ‘Let me start some brand-building.”

However, Okanlawon revealed that things changed for him after he was invited by Funke Akindele and Kunle Afolayan to work on their projects.

“Just when I thought everything was over, I got a call from Funke Akindele, next was Kunle Afoloyan, then Mo Abudu [and] Niyi Akimoloyan. At the end of 2020, Omo Ghetto the Saga hit the cinemas and became the highest-grossing movie and I was the lead actor. I also became the highest-grossing actor at the time too,” he said.

When he was asked who his favourite actors in Nollywood were, he said Richard Mofe Damijo, Olu Jacobs, and himself are the three best actors he admires in the industry. He also mentioned Bimbo Manuel and Femi Branch as actors he respects in the industry.

Okanlawon added that acting wasn’t the dream for him, but rather greatness was.

“Acting was never the dream. Greatness was the dream. Anytime anybody comes to me to tell me they want to act, the first thing I ask is ‘What else do you know? If you are a martial artist, for instance, and you come into the acting industry, you’re different. Learn to not box yourself into one thing. Bring something else. Learn something. Don’t be a small dreamer. Go for it all. Never let your current situation limit the size of your dreams,” he said.