Deyemi Okanlawon speaks on his transition from Nollywood villain
Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon, has opened up on how he moved from acting as a villain to taking up other characters.
The producer explained how his approach eventually made filmmakers see that he could be more than just a bad boy.
“There was a time in my career when I was the bad boy of Nollywood; I was the Nollywood 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.”
“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 producer, who moved from skit making to proper filmmaking, emphasised the importance of perseverance and hard work in achieving success in the acting industry.
His words, “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”
