Nollywood actor Lateef Adedimeji has revealed why he chose to cry in movies at the beginning of his acting career, saying it was part of a strategy to stand out in the competitive movie industry.
Speaking during an interview on The Morayo Show, Adedimeji said breaking into Nollywood was difficult, and he knew he needed something unique that would make audiences remember him.
According to him, people initially identified him by his resemblance to another actor, a comparison he appreciated but knew he had to move beyond.
“I learnt that and had to practise it over time because, as an entertainer, you have to be versatile. You have to know a bit about everything,” he said.
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“When I came into the industry, it was quite challenging. I resembled one of my senior colleagues whom I love so much. People would say, ‘That guy that resembles Odun, Odun’s brother.’ It was a beautiful thing because they were comparing me to someone great, but at the same time as a practitioner, people need to know you for something is of you.”
The actor said he spent time studying the industry to identify an area that was often overlooked but could set him apart.
“So I had to sit, did a lot of research I asked myself, ‘What is it that people not paying much attention to that is still important?’ So if I was given a role where I only had to shed tears for two seconds, I would mount pressure on it and make those come well.”
His approach eventually earned him a reputation among movie lovers.
“So at one point, people started calling me a crying machine. They didn’t know my name, but they would say, ‘That guy who cries so much in movies’ when describing me”.
“That was when I knew I was getting somewhere because people were beginning to identify me with something that is of me then eventually, you get to know my name,” he said.
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