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| Nollywood Actress, Bunmi Nelson and Funke Akindele |
Nollywood actress Bunmi Nelson has expressed regret over turning down an opportunity to work with her colleague, Funke Akindele, admitting that she failed to recognise the actress’s potential early in her career.
Naija Brain reports that Nelson made the revelation during an interview on the ‘Talk to B’ YouTube podcast, where she reflected on her past encounter with Akindele and the opportunities she missed.
The actress warned against underestimating people, saying she would have held on to Akindele if she had known how far she would go in the entertainment industry.
She said, “I didn’t see Funke going far. That’s why in life, don’t underestimate anybody. Don’t look down on anyone except you’re admiring their shoelace. If I knew Funke would go far like this, I would have held her tight because I can’t even see her back now.”
Nelson explained that Akindele was introduced to her through a mutual friend and later encouraged her to join the Odunfa Caucus, a renowned Yoruba theatre group and acting academy.
According to her, she was already providing houses as filming locations for filmmakers when Akindele repeatedly encouraged her to consider acting. However, she admitted that she did not take the opportunity seriously at the time.
She recalled, “I missed that big opportunity because Funke was telling me then, ‘Ah, why don’t you come?’
“I was telling her, ‘I’ve heard a lot about Yoruba industry. They will say you should say auntie. They will say you should kneel down. Then one person will say you should carry bag.’
“That's why you need to humble yourself in life. If there’s anything I’ve learned in life now, it’s humility.”
Nelson also apologised to actors Kunle Afod and Sodiq Adebayo while appealing for another opportunity to work with Akindele.
She acknowledged that her past decision caused her to miss what could have been a significant career opportunity and expressed hope that she would get another chance to collaborate with the actress.