For many actors, the passion for performance starts early, but for Teniola Aladese, her path to Nollywood wasn’t so straightforward.
The actress, producer, and casting director recently shared her unconventional journey into acting during an interview with Chude, revealing that she only considered it seriously in secondary school.
“To be honest, I’m not sure that I knew I wanted to act up until SS2,” she admitted. Before then, her ambition was entirely different—she wanted to be a lawyer. But a book changed everything.
Teniola recounted how reading Christopher Darden’s account of the O.J. Simpson trial shattered her legal aspirations. “I finished this book and closed it and said, ‘I’m not cut out to be a lawyer.’ First of all, I don’t know what I would do if I lost a case for a client.” That moment forced her to rethink her future.
With law out of the picture, she turned to acting, a craft she had always admired but never considered a serious career option. Inspired by Nollywood legends like Genevieve Nnaji and Regina Askia, she found herself drawn to the world of film. However, uncertainty still lingered.
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to school to study acting, just in case it didn’t work out for me,” she confessed. Instead, she opted for Mass Communication, seeing it as a safety net while keeping her acting dreams alive.
Her journey into the industry began behind the scenes. She interned on Tinsel while in university, working as a production assistant.
She later reached out to a producer at Africa Magic, requesting a chance to work as either a production assistant or a third assistant director. That opportunity opened doors, but it also made it harder to transition into acting full-time.
“No producer is going to let you leave his set to go act on another set when you’re the production coordinator on this one,” she explained. However, over time, people started believing in her talent.
Her big break came on Gidi Up, thanks to Victor Sanchez and Mr. Rogers, who gave her a chance. “There was this character, and everyone suggested, ‘Maybe she can do it.’ I auditioned, and they said, ‘Yeah, you have the role.’ Just like that.”
