Nollywood actor and filmmaker, Lateef Adedimeji, has shared a candid reflection on his early career, revealing that he was once paid as little as ₦4,000 to ₦10,000 for lead roles. Adedimeji discussed his journey during a recent episode of the Teju Babyface Deep Dive Podcast.
“If I tell people that I wasn’t collecting ₦100,000, ₦200,000 until 2015/16, a lot of people would not believe me. Before then, the highest I collected for a lead role was either ₦4,000, ₦5,000 or ₦10,000,” Adedimeji disclosed.
Recalling a particularly challenging experience, Adedimeji spoke about a lead role he took in Ilorin in 2010, for which he was paid only ₦1,000. “There is a lead role that I did for 10 days that I was given a thousand naira,” he said. “I spent 10 days on that set. I wasn’t even given feeding money until day six. I have played about 8 scenes for ₦8,000. It was really a tough one.”
Faced with such financial hardships, Adedimeji contemplated abandoning his acting dreams for a more stable corporate job. However, encouragement and guidance from mentors within the industry convinced him to persevere.
Adedimeji’s breakthrough came with his role in “Kudi Klepto” in 2013, which significantly raised his profile. Since then, he has become a prominent figure in Nollywood, starring in acclaimed films such as “Sugar Rush” (2019), “The New Patriots” (2020), “Breaded Life” (2021), “Ayinla” (2021), and “Jagun Jagun” (2023). His performance in “Jagun Jagun” earned him two Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) for Best Indigenous Film (West Africa) and Best Costume Design.
Looking ahead, Adedimeji is set to continue his successful career with roles in two upcoming Nollywood films in 2024. He will star in “Wole Soyinka: The Biopic,” directed by Joshua Ojo, and “Red Circle,” directed by Akay Mason.