Teniola Aladese has told Chude Jideonwo on his With Chude show 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 with Chude, 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 on 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. But 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.”
