Bimbo Akintola has expressed concern that passion, once the driving force of the Nigerian film industry, is now being overshadowed by a “preoccupation with physical appearance.”
In a recent conversation with colleague Ayo Adesanya, Akintola reflected on the early days of Nollywood, which she described as being shaped by actors deeply committed to their craft despite receiving little financial reward.
The 55-year-old actress highlighted veterans like Joke Silva and Sola Sobowale, whom she encountered at the start of her career, as shining examples of that “pure, unwavering passion for acting.”
“The passion is gone. When we started and joined the industry, it was passion-driven (hunger). How much were people being paid? It was a not a lot of money. But the passion to just make the difference, to do something that you felt was your reason for being,” she said.
“And every person that we met was on that same level of passion. Even the whole Aunty Joke, Aunty Shola, all of them were so passionate about the work.
“You had people who would not sleep. Who is talking about food? Who is talking about 12 or 14 hours working hours? You work till you finish. You work till next day and you are still back there to continue.
“And it was not about glamour. Our work is gritty, it is reality, sometimes. It is not just glamour. We reflect life back at the society.
“I think when you do stage, you still get that passion. You still see passion-driven people who just want to do their best in front of the audience.”
Akintola, however, decried the current sporadic increase in actresses being “more concerned about their outlook rather than the content”.
The new priority, she argued, has led to a concerning trend where some female actors undergo drastic cosmetic procedures like Brazilian Butt Lifting (BBL) surgery to enhance their chances for roles.
“Now people say ‘No, my make up is not right for this’, ‘I cannot wear this’. We are more concerned about how we look. Which is why generally there is a spike in BBL. Everybody is ‘BBLing’.”