“My Legacy Is My Children, Not the Films I Make” — Bolanle Ninalowo

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Nollywood actor Bolanle Ninalowo has shared fresh insight into his career journey, his views on Nigeria’s audition culture, and why he decided to step back from the limelight to focus on his children.

In an interview with Potpourri, the actor revealed that it has been a long time since he auditioned for a role in Nigeria, questioning why producers still hold auditions for major roles when they should already have specific actors in mind.

“I can’t even remember the last time I auditioned in Nigeria,” Ninalowo said. “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 explained that while smaller roles may require auditions, lead characters should be cast with clear 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,” he added.

Away from his career, the actor spoke openly about his personal life and the decision to step back to prioritize family. With his children now transitioning into adulthood, he said this stage of their lives requires his presence more than ever.

“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,” Ninalowo explained.

He described the move as a deliberate sacrifice, noting that while his career once demanded his full attention, his focus has now shifted.

“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,” he said.

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