Welcome to our ranking of the best performers in the Nollywood movies we watched this year. We reviewed quite a number of Nollywood movies, and one argument that has repeated itself throughout the year is what makes a good performance in a movie. Sola Sobowale as Eniola Salami in KOB, Toyin Aimakhu in Prophetess, a supporting role such as Ijeoma Grace Agu’s Rose in Swallow, or Funke Akindele playing two characters in Nollywood’s box-office record-holder Omo Ghetto: The Saga. What should be regarded as impressive performance (way above abundant mediocrity), we hope our list makes a bit clearer. We don’t get many of such in Nollywood.
The movies in consideration were released between December 1, 2020 – November 30, 2021.
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10. Nonso Bassey (La Femme Anjola)
Olamide: He did well as Dejare, a naïve Lagosian in La Femme Anjola. I know he succeeded because his character’s stupidity nauseates me. That has to count, right?
9. Bimbo Manuel (Gone, KOB, Eyimofe)
Olamide: Look, like Rita Dominic, Bimbo Manuel has little to prove to us again. He is a fine actor, aging well into his craft.
8. Timini Egbuson (Breaded Life, Juju Stories)
Olamide: The 2020 AMVCA Best Actor winner is slowly becoming a serious actor. It appears he is deliberate about his choice of projects (Country Hard, Juju Stories) that require him to dig deeper than usual. Hopefully, he will continue in this light.
7. Rita Dominic (La Femme Anjola)
Olamide: What can we say of Rita that has not been said already about her illustrious character. Let us not mince words: Rita is a great actress. See her in The Meeting then see her in La Femme Anjola, both directed by Mildred Okwo and written by Tunde Babalola. Perhaps this is a threesome we should be more hopeful for in the future.
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6. Nengi Adoki (Juju Stories)
Olamide: Before Juju Stories, I had never seen Nengi Adoki in anything. After seeing her in C.J Obasi’s “Suffer the Witch”, I was enraptured. So much that I had to find a way to look her up and somehow, stumbled on her Instagram page. Brethren, I do not have an Instagram account. That’s how memorable her performance is.
5. Funke Akindele (Omo Ghetto: The Saga)
Fridous: Funke Akindele is not a new name in Nollywood nor is her acting prowess. Her acting in Maami, an inspiring story about the trials and tribulations of a poverty-stricken woman raising her only child and her comic role as Jenifa are probably two of her many roles that propelled her to the world’s eye. Omo Ghetto: The Saga, a sequel to 2010 Omo Ghetto, being the highest-grossing movie in Nollywood this year shows she’s ahead of her pack in the industry. The dual roles she played as Lefty and Shalewa in Omo Ghetto is nothing new in the film industry, but she does add a new dimension to it partly owed to the film’s scripting.
4. Jude Akuwudike (Eyimofe)
Olamide: It is easy not to recognize that Jude’s performance in Eyimofe is simply excellent. He plays a passive man beaten to a pulp by the tragedy of Nigerian life and the realities of being poor. His quiet but forceful performance is a reminder that you don’t need to be loud, funny or a downright nuisance to deliver a great performance.
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3. Ijeoma Grace Agu (Swallow)
Olamide: While Kunle Afolayan has a knack for pushing amateur actors into lead roles prematurely, it is obvious that the man has a good eye for talent. Evidence is Ijeoma Grace Agu who, in spite of having limited screen time in Swallow, steals the show and singes her performance into the viewer’s memory. The exemplary scene is when the drugs burst in her belly and the airport scene, where she went through (how many?) various emotions in minutes.
2. Adedimeji Lateef (Ayinla)
Olamide: He has been doing great with Yoruba Nollywood for a long time now, and it appears the years of training at dexterously delivering numerous characters have somehow paid off because Lateef is a serious actor. In Ayinla, he takes the lead and delivers the late Anigilaje in a performance to die for. No pun intended.
- Bimbo Ademoye (Gone, Breaded Life)
Olamide: Bimbo Ademoye is a talented actor to watch. Bimbo’s strength is her ability to make a small role appear complete. Although there is a level of jocundity her mainstream performances rely on; family roles and ride-or-die friendships, where she can be overly familiar with most of the characters she plays across from. The foundation to Bimbo Ademoye’s successful portrayals in Sugar Rush or Breaded Life is evident here in Gone. We need to take Bimbo Ademoye more seriously; pull her away from the ugly gnaws of stereotypical comic-relief supporting actor roles. She is beyond ready for a role as a lead in a well-written mainstream drama.
Join the conversation: Share your personal ranking in the comments section or on social media and don’t forget to tag us or use the hashtag #BestOfNollywood2021.
Join our Instagram live discussion on Friday, 3rd of December 2021 by 7pm, as we break down our choices with some other Nollywood enthusiasts.
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