Femi Akinyemi, a prominent actor in Yoruba cinema, has shared the behind-the-scenes reactions from fellow actors regarding actress Yewande Adekoya’s decision to cast him as her on-screen husband.
In an interview, Akinyemi revealed that some actors advised Yewande against the casting choice, claiming he was too young to play her husband. He also spoke about Yewande Adekoya’s own response to those suggestions. The disclosure was made in a video published on Mtec TV’s official YouTube channel.
He made the following statement: “I had the opportunity to meet with actress Yewande Adekoya, and at the time, she was one of the most popular Yoruba actresses on YouTube. I told her that I would be her husband. She was very happy when I shared my ideal with her, and she brought her ideal with her as well. According to Yewande, there are actors who have told her that I am a young boy and that she should not allow me to be her husband. She told them that she could play the role of my wife in the movie because I am the one who wants to spend the money.”
When compared to Yoruba Nollywood, the English Nollywood industry provides better treatment to actors. The English Nollywood industry does not practice any form of segregation. We all refer to each other by our names, and even my superiors in the industry, such as Nadia Buhari and Kenneth Nwadike, were relating with me as we called each other by name. This is in contrast to the Yoruba Nollywood industry, which emphasizes the importance of respecting one another. In fact, the room that I was provided with on that particular day was the same kind of room that our A-list actors in the Yoruba Nollywood industry are provided with.”