Nigerian actress Bunmi Nelson has expressed regret over failing to recognise the potential of Nollywood star Funke Akindele when they crossed paths early in their careers.
Nelson made the revelation during a recent interview with actress Biola Adebayo on the ‘Talk to B’ podcast, where she reflected on her interactions with Akindele around 2006.
The actress admitted that she did not anticipate how successful Akindele would become and said she would have treated her differently if she had known what the future held.
“If I knew Funke would go far like this, I would have held her tight,” Nelson said.
She used her experience to caution people against looking down on others, stressing that circumstances and fortunes can change with time.
“I didn’t see Funke Akindele going far; that’s why in life, don’t underestimate anyone. Don’t look down on anyone except when you’re admiring their shoe lace,” she said.
Nelson recalled that she used to make her home in Magodo available for film productions and had also been involved in a soap opera at the time.
According to her, Akindele approached her because she needed a location for a production and even brought Mama Fali Werepe to her residence.
She said, “If I knew Funke would go far like this, I would have held her tight. Because I can’t even see her back now. It was even Funke that took me to Odun Ifa.
“Then, I used to give people my house to shoot. I just love it. I used to do location then, and I was also in a soap opera. Funke now approached me and said she needed a house. She even brought Mama Fali Werepe to our house then at Magodo that she wanted to shoot.”
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Prompt News reports Nelson admitted that she repeatedly ignored Akindele’s calls despite having opportunities to build a relationship with her at a time when the entertainment industry was less crowded.
“The mistake I now made was I just felt… she will be calling me then, I will just ignore. I don’t know if it was my village people ooo,” she said.
She described the period as a missed opportunity, noting that Akindele was also encouraging people to join the Yoruba film industry.
“I had every opportunity when Funke was calling me because the industry was not overpopulated like now. I missed that big opportunity in 2006 and 2007 because she was telling them to join the Yoruba movie industry,” she stated.
Reflecting on the lesson from the experience, Nelson said life had taught her the importance of humility and reminded her that circumstances can change.
“If there’s anything I have learned in this life, it is humility. I’m more humble now than anything else because life has taught me the hard way that nothing is constant,” she added.
