I Don’t Want to Be Known as Good-Looking Actor — Babatunde Aderinoye
Actor Babatunde Aderinoye sits with Olaniyi Apanpa in this wide-ranging interview to reflect on his journey through Nollywood, from understudying veteran filmmaker Odunlade Adekola to carving out his own identity in the mainstream Nigerian movie industry. He also speaks on the pressure of growth in an increasingly competitive industry and the legacy he hopes to leave behind.
Source: Instagram
Q: What’s the most unconventional lesson Odunlade Adekola taught you as his trainee?
A: I understudied him without him even knowing at the time. That’s something I always say—sometimes you don’t even need formal access to learn from someone. You just watch closely.
One of the biggest things I took from him is his work ethic. That man is a workaholic in the real sense of it. Even at his level, where he has already achieved so much and is one of the most recognisable faces in the industry, he still works like someone who is trying to break through.
That was shocking to me early on. Because you would expect someone at that level to slow down a bit, relax, and enjoy the success. But it was the opposite.
And I think that alone reset my mindset. It made me realise that comfort is dangerous in this industry. The moment you start thinking you’ve arrived, you begin to decline.
There was a time when his memes were everywhere online, his face was constantly in circulation, and he was trending in different ways. But even that never distracted him from work. So I told myself: if this is the standard, then I have no excuse.
He also gave me advice that shaped my early journey. He told me not to chase money at the beginning.
He said, “Focus on proving yourself first. Go on set, show that you can deliver. Let people trust your ability before anything else.”
That stayed with me. At that stage, I wasn’t even thinking about income. I just wanted an opportunity. I wanted to act. I wanted to be on set.
And when I did get paid, he advised me to reinvest it back into the craft—costumes, logistics, transport, whatever helps the job. That’s how I started building myself.
Q: You recently won Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 OAFP Awards. What does that recognition mean for you at this point in your career?
A: It's an inspiration for me. It's a message that people acknowledge what I am doing, and they appreciate my craft. So that's like a message to me that we see what you're doing and we appreciate it, because this isn't an award that was just handed down to me.
There was a panel that saw movies, saw several movies and all of that and then for them to think like, oh yeah, I am one. Of course, I was also in the category of the best actor of the year. Yeah, I was also in that category. But then I'm grateful that my work is being seen. It's one thing for you to do something and it's not being recognised, and it's another thing for you to do something and people appreciate you for it. I mean, you're rewarded.
It's more or less like a reward, and that reward is serving as an inspiration for me that, okay, yes, you're on the right path and that you should not maintain this level; you have to go higher because I feel that if I want to win another award, I need to even put in more effort.
Q: Early in your career, there were comments that your acting was “quiet.” Now people praise your energy on screen. How did you deal with that criticism and transform your performance style?
A: In life, anyone who disapproves of being criticised would not have room for success, development or even growth. It's not good in terms of emotion, in terms of feeling. When they tell you that you're not doing enough, you don't feel good about it.
It's not something that you would like. So I would say that in my early days, as you said, yes, I got those messages. And what I did was I figured that I was just at the level where I needed to up my game.
Now, it means that I need to increase in terms of my skills. I needed to increase in terms of my exposure theatre-wise. So what did I do? I exposed myself to different kinds of acting, different kinds of character expression and saw different actors, both foreign and local actors, learn from them.
I enrolled in some personal courses as well. And gradually, because the result didn't just come in a day, it was a gradual thing. You know, this was something that people probably started noticing in maybe one year, two years after they had those comments about me.
And then they started to see that, oh yeah, this guy is improving. And that's good, that you're not just stagnant, you're not static. And that work needed to be done.
So all I needed to do was just look out for the things I needed to work on and work with them. It's good to welcome criticism. It's very, very good.
Does it feel good? No, I'll be honest. It doesn't feel good at all. But if you're somebody who wants to grow, you should embrace criticism, work on it, and use it as an inspiration to develop. Because that is the only way what you desire would come to pass. Because you want to see yourself being named among the best.
My vision before coming into this career was that I really did not want to be associated with, oh, he's a tall guy. Oh, he's good-looking. No. I want people to mention me alongside quality, of course. When you mention my name, you think of quality. It's just like some brands. When you mention the Mercedeez, for instance, it's class.
Q: You’ve moved from Yoruba-language films into bigger cinema productions like 'Beast of Two Worlds', 'Lakatabu' and others. What has been the biggest challenge in that transition?
A: The honest answer is that the acting challenge is not really different. Whether it’s a Yoruba film, a YouTube production, or a cinema film, the core job remains the same. If a scene says you should walk into a room and sit down, you do it. The emotion, intention, and execution are what matter.
What changes is the environment. Cinema productions operate on a larger scale. Bigger cameras, bigger lighting setups, more crew, more coordination. On a YouTube or smaller set, you might shoot many scenes in a day. On a cinema set, you might do fewer scenes because setup alone can take hours.
So the transition is more about professionalism than performance.
Q: There’s been debate about actors dancing or doing skits to promote movies. Do you think that kind of marketing is sustainable?
A: For now, yes. Because the truth is, you work with what is available. If you have invested heavily in a film, you cannot afford to ignore promotion. And if dancing in public places, doing skits, or engaging with fans in creative ways is what brings attention, then people will use it.
It is not necessarily about pride or comfort. It is about visibility. You want people to know the movie exists. You want them to go to the cinema. And until a more effective method is introduced, that is what people will continue to use. But right now, that is where the industry is.
Q: You’ve also said you don’t exploit female fans or scandals for attention. In an industry where controversy often drives fame, how do you maintain that discipline?
A: It is not always easy, to be honest, because when you are in the public eye, a lot of things come your way—attention, admiration, invitations, situations you did not even plan for. But I try to stay grounded. At the end of the day, I remind myself that fame is temporary, but reputation lasts longer. So I make decisions based on values, not trends.
Do I get moments where people show me love in different ways? Yes. Do I take advantage of it? No. Because I see it as a favour, not an opportunity for exploitation. And my faith also plays a big role in how I navigate those situations. I believe you can enjoy success without losing your principles. So I try to stay balanced.
Source: Instagram
Q: What should fans expect from you in the second half of 2026? Any international collaborations or major projects?
A: I'm hopeful for that. But of course, I would implore my fans to watch out for my own YouTube channel and expect quality movies in the second part of the year. Quality, movies, my own productions. I'll be giving them back to back by the grace of God, basically. And of course, a lot of lead roles in other people's jobs
Watch a snippet of Babatunde Aderinoye on screen here:
Adekunle Gold surprises Odunlade
Legit.ng previously reported that Odunlade Adekola had an emotional moment during a video call with Afrobeats star Adekunle Gold.
In the viral video, the actor revealed his disappointment about the lack of support from his colleagues.
After listening to Odunlade, Adekunle Gold told the actor to keep pushing his movie regardless of who shows up and who doesn’t. And then, just when the actor thought the conversation was over, the singer made a surprising offer.
Source: Legit.ng
