My legacy is my children, not the films I make – Bolanle Ninalowo

By Ayo Onikoyi

Nollywood actor Bolanle Ninalowo has opened up about his career, the audition culture in Nigeria, and why he stepped back from the spotlight to focus on his children.

In an interview with Potpourri, the actor revealed that it has been a long time since he last auditioned for a role in Nigeria, and questioned the need for auditions for major film roles when producers should already have a clear vision of their cast.

“I can’t even remember the last time I auditioned in Nigeria,” Ninalowo stated. “But, though, even abroad, when they write scripts, they know exactly the actor they’re looking for. They have the actor, and they have a substitute actor, just in case that person is not available. So if you’re a filmmaker today, and you don’t know who you can potentially use, then you have a problem, if you have to start auditioning.”

He emphasized that while minor or supporting roles may require auditions, lead roles should be cast with purpose and intention.

“There are roles that you audition for which you know, which are like minor roles, or maybe you have supporting roles, and you feel like, you know, let’s audition a few people. But for your main cast, you should have an idea of the kind of people that you want. So, if these are not available, then you can always have a substitute, but that’s just being honest.”

Beyond acting, Ninalowo spoke candidly about his decision to prioritize his family, especially as his children transition into adulthood.

“Oh, well, my kids are going to college now, my daughter is 19, my son is 17, and I feel like that’s the most important age that I need to be present, and showing them more about life and being there for them, and making life-long decisions into the next chapter of their lives ” he said.

The actor described this phase of his life as one that requires intentional sacrifice.

“So I had to make a big sacrifice of saying, look, what’s more important now to me, thank God I made hay while the sun shone. Like you rightfully said, there was a time I was in almost all movies, you know, at that time, that was what was important to me. My kids were much younger then. Now they’re much grown. And you know, they need my attention a lot more. My legacy is my children, not the films that I make.”

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