Nollywood star, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, has acted as a therapist, sex trafficker, nun, lawyer, doctor, scheming lover and spoilt rich kid among others in 21 years of professional acting.
A forthcoming film will see her play the mother of a gay child. The Yoruba-born actress will also be speaking Igbo for the very first time.
While not giving much away about the project, Funlola said in an interview that she initially rejected the role because she thought she could not speak Igbo the language convincingly.
But the producers thought otherwise.
“For some funny reason, the directors, the producers imposed it on me, they forced it on me. They kept telling me yes, ‘it’s you, it’s you. Step out of your comfort zone, do something different. Wow people,’” the University of Lagos sociology graduate said.
She eventually accepted the challenge and explained how she mastered her Igbo lines.