Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon, is taking a moment to look back on his early career days as he honors the veteran actor, Kunle Bantefa.
In a post on his Instagram page, he shared a photo of himself with Kunle Bantefa and reminisced about stepping into the world of filming at the age of 8 or 9.
Deyemi revealed that his first time on set was for a family commercial. The commercial featured veteran actress Sola Sobowale as his mother, and his brother, Detola Okanlawon, played his brother. However, Deyemi ended up embarrassing himself as he couldn’t remember his lines and started crying.
The man who played his father was Kunle Bantefa, whom Deyemi described as the friendliest giant he had ever met. He mentioned that Kunle always had a smile on his face, even to this day.
“The first time I ever stepped on a film set, I was about 8 or 9 years old. It was for a family planning commercial produced by the legendary Femi Jarett. I remember that Mummy Sola Sobowale played my mother, Detola Okanlawon played my brother (crying because he couldn’t remember his lines and embarrassing me)… and there was a man who played my dad who I thought then was the friendliest giant ever. Daddy Kunle Bantefa always had a smile on his face, and still does!
Lesson: Just like with Christ, the gifts or talents God has placed inside you will start to show from an early age, but the world will try to suppress it. Take a quiet moment to reflect on your past and you may be reminded of the greatness that is already within you.”
Yvonne Jegede commented, saying, “That’s a legend right there.”
In March, Deyemi Okanlawon was honored with a Trailblazer award at the 16th edition of the Silverbird Awards held at the Convention Center, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Deyemi expressed his gratitude to Silverbird TV and the public for the award, acknowledging that it had been a long time coming.
A few weeks ago, Deyemi celebrated the fulfillment of one of his career desires, which was to have a positive impact.
He revealed that his dream was not only to achieve success in his career but also to make a positive impact, particularly in the lives of others.
Now, he is living his dream through his role as the Actors Guild of Nigeria’s Director of Planning/Strategy.
