Interview: Mike Afolarin Shows No Signs of Slowing Down 

From behind-the-scenes dreamer to Nollywood breakout star, Mike Afolarin has emerged as one of the industry’s most compelling new talents. After capturing audiences in the critically acclaimed Far From Home (2022), he has continued to demonstrate his versatility in 2024 releases like House of Ga’a and, most recently, in his role in Freedom Way, which screened at the just-concluded AFRIFF. 

While his packed acting schedule now leaves little room for his other passion—photography, Afolarin’s journey offers a fascinating glimpse into Nollywood’s evolving landscape. In this conversation with Culture Custodian, the actor opens up about his trajectory and vision.

You started out working behind the scenes in filmmaking. What pivotal moment made you realize this was a path worth pursuing despite not having a traditional acting background?

I always wanted to act. So the detour was the behind-the-scenes work. For me, it was a way of getting closer to the industry and learning a few things before I began my acting career. And no doubt, it helped me a lot because I wasn’t sad. I was watching, I was learning, and I was meeting people who are now very instrumental. It was a strategy for me.  

Freedom Way explores a theme that resonates deeply with Nigerian youth. How did your personal experiences or those of people around you inform your portrayal of Edi’s desperation to leave Nigeria?

Absolutely. That’s the reality of a lot of young people right now in Nigeria. It’s sad but we can’t shy away from the fact that many people are looking forward to leaving the country to be better versions of themselves.

That was all I had to tap into to play Edi. For me, I’ve always been a fan of making Nigeria great but it doesn’t change the fact that I come in contact with people always wanting to leave and give up on the Nigerian dream as it were. This is not the first time I’ve done something that has to do with people wanting to leave the country. There was a short film I did way back with my friend, Moshood Fattah.  It’s called ARRGH. I think it’s still on YouTube. 

You’ve been Ishaya, Oyemekun, and Edi, all three characters embrace some sort of escapism. How did the journeys of these characters differ and what did you find most compelling about bringing them to life?

Every time I have to step into the shoes of another character, it’s always a joy and a thrill for me. Most of these characters are nothing like how I am in real life, although there are certain similarities that I have to tap into to embody them fully.

But I would say I’m not desperate to find true love that I would attack my family, neither am I so desperate to leave the country. For Ishaya, I found the flexibility of the range of emotions that he had to go through and portray compelling.

Characters like Ishaya, Oyemekun, and now Edi, often resonate with audiences. When given a script, how do you work to achieve emotional depth in each role?

The first thing I do is get as much information about the character as I can. I ask a lot of questions, conversations with the director, and my fellow cast members because there is a way you see yourself and there’s also a way other people perceive you. So asking questions would provide a lot of information. I also research characters. For House of Ga’a, I had to do a lot of research at the time, like what happened then, just to be sure of how to live the truth of those moments and the truth of the character. Mr Ibrahim Chatta helped me a lot, he’s very knowledgeable about the old Oyó empire. 

In your acting career, what are some common themes you’ve aimed to bring into your character portrayals?

All the characters that I play have unique personalities. I’m not trying to link all of these characters by a thread. I’m only trying to play the truth of the persons together at the most sincere level that I can.  

I think the best part is seeing how much impact the stories I tell have on people. I’ve seen people talk about how Ishaya Bello made them take their art seriously. He motivated them to keep pushing regardless of how many people were against their creative choices, their dreams, and all that. So that is inspiring for me. I like it when I do something that triggers a feeling or an emotion to keep going, basically motivating them to dream.

You’re able to balance both acting and photography. Having photographed several celebrities, what has being on both sides of the lens taught you about authenticity in artistic expression?

I have a certain understanding of how I like to look when I’m being photographed, and I think that informs a lot of how I photograph my friends.  I like originality. I don’t like to look artificial in a lot of pictures. To be honest, it’s a hobby. It’s not anything that I put too much thought into. I just get bored and I pick up my camera and just do these things.

You’ve also had the opportunity to walk the runway for Lagos Fashion Week. As someone with a visual eye from your photography work, how did that experience inform or challenge the way you approach presenting your work on camera?

I wasn’t thinking about that at the moment. I just showed up and walked in the best way I felt in the outfit that I was wearing. And I think that’s what my focus was on. The outfit felt very active, and I just moved in it to express myself. 

Given your creative pursuits, what stories or aspects of Nigerian life do you feel more compelled to capture, whether through acting or photography, that you think aren’t being told enough?

With photography, I go for sincerity in the moment. I have conversations with the people I’m photographing and while I’m having the conversations, I’ll take the pictures. I’m not really looking for a particular pose, style, or aesthetic. You see that most of them have very similar looks. So it’s very natural, very casual, very relaxed. The authentic person is not like a forced presentation. 

With acting, just finding truth and relatable stories. Before now, I would say stories about our history, and where we come from, as opposed to like a lot of Westernized storylines and plots, but right now in the industry, I can say that many epic stories are being produced. We have started to dig deep into the stories. Of course, there’s still a vast archive of stories about deities, for example, we could tell stories about Sango,  god of thunder, he could, he could be our version of Thor. We have Osun too and many more. We could explore biopics, I don’t know if we’ve done enough of that just yet. I’m guessing that with time we’ll get there. 

Are there any films that you’re looking forward to coming to our screens? 

Absolutely. I am currently filming Blood Sisters season two. I’m looking forward to that. There are a lot of other projects that I can’t talk about just yet, at some point next year, you’re going to see them.