The lead characters from the blockbuster Nollywood series, ‘To Kill A Monkey‘, have shared their experiences with the director of the series, Kemi Adetiba.
Appearing on the recent episode of Arise TV’s Arise360, William Benson and Lilian Afegbai, who were the lead characters in the trending Nigerian drama, had some interesting things to say about Adetiba.
Speaking, Afegbai, who played the character, ‘Idia’, stated that Adetiba is an ‘actor-director’. That is, she gets into the minds of her characters to bring out the expectations of the characters in the film.
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“She is an actor-director; she would have a conversation with you (actor) to know what you think about a particular situation or scene.”
She went further to state that Adetiba allowed her to be herself without losing the strength and expectations of the character. “I would often ask her, Do you want me to chip in this slang? ‘” Afegbai said. “Then, she’ll say yes to it.”
“ I knew the actors would stand out, so I had to bring my A-game,” she added.
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Squeeze Out The Juice- William Benson
William Benson, who plays the role of Efemini or Efe in the series, spoke about how Kemi Adetiba was able to squeeze out the ‘juice’ in him and other members of the acting so that they could be at their best.
Benson mentioned that he had missed several calls from the movie director before he finally picked up the call, and they ended up speaking for several hours. In the end, Adetiba was convinced that he was suitable to play the role of Efe; hence, she said, “William, I need you, I need you…”
William later added that he informed Adetiba that she’s the best director he has ever worked with in his acting career.
To Kill A Monkey: Adetiba’s Latest Work
The eight-episode series debuted on the movie streaming platform, Netflix, on July 18, 2025, to critical acclaim. It typically explores themes of betrayal, revenge, societal decay, and moral conflict, often with a street or political backdrop.
Meet Kemi Adetiba
Equally, Kemi Adetiba is a Nigerian filmmaker, television director, and music video director, whose works have appeared on Channel O, MTV Base, Sound City TV, BET, and Netflix.
Adetiba became engaged to Oscar Heman-Ackah in January 2022, and they were married in April of the same year.
After years of success being in front of the camera, she enrolled at the New York Film Academy to learn the ropes about being behind the camera, and today, her body of work as a director spans across the African continent and beyond its borders. Adetiba’s short film Across a Bloodied Ocean was screened at the 2009 Pan African Film Festival and National Black Arts Festival.
On 8 September 2016, Adetiba’s first feature film, The Wedding Party (a Nigerian Rom-com film), premiered on opening night at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as the opening film of the City-to-City Spotlight.
