Teniola Aladese has revealed that acting wasn’t the plan from the start.
According to her, she spent years working behind the scenes before stepping into the spotlight.
In a recent interview, the actress, producer, and casting director reflected on her unconventional rise to stardom.
Unlike many actors who trained in film schools or theater programs, Teniola took a different route.“I still hope to go to film school at some point, but I didn’t go initially,” she admitted.
Instead, she studied Mass Communication, believing it would offer more stability if acting didn’t work out.
While in school, she got an internship at ‘Tinsel’, thanks to a recommendation from writer Tunde Aladese. That experience led her to the world of production, where she started as an assistant and gradually climbed the ranks.
However, balancing production work with acting aspirations proved difficult. “No producer is going to let you leave his set to go act on another set when you’re the production coordinator here,” she explained, adding that she refused to give up.
Her breakthrough moment came when she landed a role on ‘Gidi Up’. “Some people just started believing in me for some reason,” she said. It was a mix of talent, persistence, and being in the right place at the right time.
With industry heavyweights like Victor Sanchez backing her, she finally got her chance to step in front of the camera.
“There was this character, and everyone suggested, ‘Maybe she can do it.’ I auditioned, and they said, ‘Yeah, you have the role.’ Just like that.”
Teniola Aladese
Teniola Aladese considered Acting Career at SS2
For many actors, the passion for performance starts early, but for Teniola Aladese, her path to Nollywood wasn’t so straightforward.
The actress, producer, and casting director recently shared her unconventional journey into acting during an interview, revealing that she only considered it seriously in secondary school.
Before then, her ambition was entirely different—she wanted to be a lawyer. But a book changed everything. “To be honest, I’m not sure that I knew I wanted to act up until SS2,” she admitted.
Teniola recounted how reading Christopher Darden’s account of the O.J. Simpson trial shattered her legal aspirations.
“I finished this book and closed it and said, ‘I’m not cut out to be a lawyer.’ First of all, I don’t know what I would do if I lost a case for a client.”
Teniola Aladese
That moment forced her to rethink her future. With law out of the picture, she turned to acting, a craft she had always admired but never considered a serious career option.
Inspired by Nollywood legends like Genevieve Nnaji and Regina Askia, she found herself drawn to the world of film. However, uncertainty still lingered.
Teniola Aladese garnered major recognition while playing the character, ‘Akweyon’ on the Africa Magic television drama, ‘JEMEJI’.
She did this while also serving as Production Manager on the show. In 2018, Teniola was the Line Producer on the television Drama series ‘Forbidden’. To date, she also continues to serve as Line Producer for IK Osakioduwa’s ‘Comedy Nites’.
Teniola Aladese gained critical acclaim for her role as the villain Folashade FK Kuku, on the television drama series, ‘Unbroken’.
She plays the character, Lara in the web series, ‘Lara of Lagos’. Other acting credits include Victor Sanchez Aghahowa’s web series ‘Flat 3B’, ‘Onboard to Love’, ‘Déjà Vu’, ‘Material Girl’, ‘Why am I Angry?’, and ‘Backseat’.
Throughout her career, Teniola has also served as a casting director and consultant on a number of productions. In her spare time, Teniola loves to draw, paint, sing, dance, and try out exotic food.
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