Deyemi Okanlawon, the Nigerian actor, has opened up about why he quit acting.
The 45-year-old, while speaking in an interview with the CreativiTea podcast, disclosed that he stopped acting in 2019 because he felt underpaid and undervalued.
Deyemi noted that although he left his previous 9-5 to build his acting career, he felt like the work was not good enough for him.
“So, I quit acting in 2019. I quit because the pay and the work were nonsense. And I just felt like I didn’t leave 9 – 5 work to come and do mediocre work. It was difficult to wake up in the morning and go to work, and what is the point of being passionate about something and then not being fulfilled by it. So I quit and then went back to 9-5 work”, he said.
Meanwhile, the actor had recently criticised those who call celebrities, ‘yeyebrities’.
READ ALSO:‘Yeyebrities’- Deyemi Okanlawon Tackles Those who Mock Celebrities
According to the Nigerian movie actor, it is disrespectful to call Nigerian celebrities ‘yeyebrities’ due to their immense contribution to the Nigerian entertainment sector.
Speaking on the harsh criticism celebrities often face online, the actor said many people judge stars without understanding the pressures that come with living in the spotlight.
Okanlawon frowned at the trend of referring to celebrities as “yeyebrities,” saying such labels are unfair and reflect a habit of diminishing other people’s achievements.
According to him, “I see people who have no idea what the challenge is that people in the spotlight are facing. They just come up with a lot of things. It’s sad to see.”
He added that people should be careful about the words they speak against others because no one knows what the future holds.
“People even call celebrities ‘yeyebrities’ because I’m like, whatever you diminish in somebody else’s life, you can never achieve,” he said.
The actor went on to warn critics not to assume that fame will never touch their own families.
“So, let’s just pray that in your lineage, nobody finds their way into the spotlight, because if that happens, then you’ve opened up the door for such things to be said about them,” Deyemi stated.
