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Nigerian-born Hollywood star Bayo Akinfemi has recalled his journey from the days of his humble beginnings to fame.
Akinfemi, 55, known for his role in the American television sitcom ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’, during a recent chat with Tejubaby face detailed the struggles that shaped his acting career.
The actor shared how he relocated to Canada to pursue his passion by enrolling in film school while juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Akinfemi, who played ‘Goodwin Olayiwola’ in the five-season sitcom, revealed that he returned to school in his 40s and had classmates the same age as his children.
He said, “I went to Canada in 1998, my wife was there. We were classmates at the University of Ilorin and we had been dating since then,.
“I joined her in Canada and the first thing I did was to go to film school. I had the opportunity to really pursue my dream. After film school, I started working as a production assistant.
“There was nothing I didn’t do while I was in film school while trying to survive. I drove a taxi at night and worked in construction. I go to school in the morning, drive taxi in the evening, on weekends to work in construction, work in painting— I did all of that.
“There were times when I wanted to go back home. There were frustrating moments where I asked myself if this was a mistake, moments of doubt and regret. I was also getting pressured back home because Nollywood was beginning to develop and a lot of my friends were doing well.
“I was getting calls to come back home but I said no I’m not coming back. I stayed because I began to feel closer to Hollywood and to see that my dream was actually achievable.
“After film school, I was working on movie sets with Jackie Chan, Johnny Q when Denzel shot it in Toronto. Just being exposed to all of that made me feel like I was getting closer to this Hollywood thing.
“Directing is what I wanted to really do, I didn’t want to be an actor anymore. I started making short films and working on all these movie sets. I eventually got an agent who tried to get me into acting and the acting thing just took off.
“When I got to Canada in 1998, I was 29 years old. When I went to film school, I was in school with 19-year-old kids while I was in my early thirties but that was in Toronto.
“When I moved to Los Angeles I went back to school at USC, I was in my 40s in school with kids the same age as my kids. At that point, there was no turning back.”
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