Veteran Nigerian actress, filmmaker, and producer Funke Akindele has shared the story of how she earned her first N1 million in 1999, a milestone that marked the beginning of her journey to becoming one of Nollywood’s most successful figures.
In a recent video, Akindele revealed that her breakthrough came through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored television series I Need to Know, where she played the role of Bisi, a curious and intelligent teenager navigating issues around adolescence, health, and social values.
The show aired from 1998 to 2002, during which Akindele was between 21 and 24 years old, having been born in August 1977.
The series, which became a national hit, was both educational and entertaining, and it helped establish Akindele as one of the emerging faces of Nollywood at the time. However, she almost lost the role after the pilot episode because the producers felt she wasn’t speaking like a teenager.
“I shot the pilot and acted so well, but they told me I wasn’t sounding like a teenager,” she recalled. “They asked me to go home, study the script better, and come back for another pilot.”
Determined not to lose the opportunity, Akindele said she practiced with her younger sister, who helped her adjust her tone and delivery to sound more like a teenager. “That was how I perfected the role,” she said. “I was later called back, and that performance opened doors for me. It was through that project that I made my first N1 million.”
At the time, N1 million was a significant sum in Nigeria. In 1999, the naira traded at an average of N99.26 per U.S. dollar at the Bureau de Change, after depreciating from N83.15 per dollar in 1996. This means Akindele’s first major earnings were equivalent to roughly $10,000 at the time, a substantial amount for a young actress in her early twenties.
Akindele revealed that she first showed the cheque to her mother, who advised her to pay her tithe and save. “After that, I changed my wardrobe because I barely had shoes or clothes. The girl who once had nothing suddenly had options,” she said with laughter.
The experience, she added, taught her discipline and the importance of self-improvement values that have defined her decades-long career.
Since her early days on I Need to Know, Akindele has evolved into one of Nollywood’s most accomplished filmmakers. Her productions under Scene One Productions have dominated the Nigerian box office, with Everybody Loves Jenifa (N1.8 billion), ) A Tribe Called Judah (N1.5 billion), Battle on Buka Street (N668 million), and Omo Ghetto: The Saga (N636 million), ranking as Nigeria’s top three highest-grossing films.
Collectively, her films have generated over N4 billion in revenue, cementing her reputation as Nollywood’s most bankable filmmaker.
Out of her four major record-breaking box office hits, three of them ranked high in the top 10 highest-grossing movies in opening weekend ever.