Nigerian actor and singer, Gabriel Afolayan, has said his decision to pursue acting was driven by an inner calling rather than the weight of his family’s legacy.
The 40-year-old movie star made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise on Saturday, where he spoke on growing up in a renowned entertainment dynasty, his creative philosophy, and the evolution of his career.
Asked what it feels like to come from a celebrated acting family, Afolayan admitted that the legacy comes with pressure.
“It’s a big weight to… because one thing is the legacy. Then another thing is what spice do you have as a person? And it calls for a whole lot of heavy talks around, because they already know what your dad had done.
“So what about you? Who are you? We are, we’re all out proving ourselves almost all the time, making sure the legacy is still very intact. And also let people know that, okay, we’re from this family, but also this is our own calling as well,” he said.
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He noted that constantly trying to separate oneself from a famous name can be unnecessary.
“For me, I think it’s a common talk, but then again, you can’t rule out your legacy.
There’s nothing anybody can do about that. No matter how astute you are with your craft and all that, people still would have to tag you to that legacy, whether you like it or yes.
“But as time goes by for you as a person, I think your own personal dream will start revealing itself over time based on what you get to do with whatever you’ve been given. And as time goes by, people will be able to say, okay, we know him also, even though he’s part of this legacy. I think that would happen over time. So you can’t put up an argument all the time and defend yourself that ‘I’m different.’ People will know if you’re different,” the actor said.
The Afolayan family from Kwara State is a celebrated Nigerian entertainment dynasty, regarded as Nollywood royalty. Their legacy spans acting, directing, and film production across multiple generations.
The patriarch, Adeyemi Josiah Afolayan (Ade Love, 1940–1996), was a pioneer of modern Nigerian theatre and cinema, known for films like Taxi Driver and Kadara.
His children have continued his legacy, including filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, actor and singer Gabriel Afolayan, actor-director Aremu Afolayan, actress-filmmaker Moji Afolayan, and veteran actress Toyin Afolayan (Lola Idije).
In November 2024, the family mourned the passing of their mother, Mama Omoladun Ayanladun Afolayan, at age 81. At her wake, Kunle and Aremu Afolayan publicly reconciled, ending a long-standing feud and reaffirming family unity.
‘Inner Feeling’
Asked why he chose acting, Afolayan explained that the profession chose him from the onset and described acting as an inner feeling of a calling more than a career.
“Yes. I’ll put it that way. Because being inspired is one thing. Having your own inner core is another thing. And that, because we’re just, I think we’re just six in this business. And we have a whole bunch of other kids that are into something totally different. It could have been the same with them as well, if, truly, you know, that’s the case.
“I think this is just what the few of us that are into this business I think this is just what we also want to do. Whether our father was into it or not. Because I grew up strictly feeling that this is exactly what I wanted, even without having anything to do with or seeing my dad or seeing any other person. I think it was just inner.
“It was within for me. And we saw a lot of films while growing up. And there’s a way all these things get to inspire your own intuition as well. So, for me, I’ll say for a fact that it’s also what I would love to do. Trust me. If it’s in another life, we probably won’t know what to do until we are in that particular life. So this life that we are in right now, for me, I think this is more of a calling than a job,” he stated.
Working With Kunle Afolayan
The actor also opened up about his professional and personal relationship with his brother, filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, revealing how their shared upbringing shaped their work in Nollywood.
Reflecting on their childhood, he recalled how early experiences watching films together created a lasting bond:
“I can remember when we were much younger; he’s going to put me on his shoulder… we go and watch films together. So we’ve already had that filmic bond while growing up. And also, it translated pretty much well,” he said.
This foundation of shared experiences, he said, made working together on large-scale projects, such as the Anikulapo series, a natural and rewarding process.
“We love quality stuff, fundamentally. And we love ourselves, even though when we argue, it’s for a certain course that’s going to set things right. So it was pretty easy to work with him. I think we got that niche from our dad, always wanting to do things right.”
‘Anikulapo’
Afolayan also spoke about collaborating with his family, particularly on the Anikulapo project, the scale and demands of the production.
“For a big-scale project like Anikulapo, you can’t be any better. The project itself calls for exactly what it gets at the moment, building set from scratch, having professional cinematographers, good technical people on grading, costumes, art design… everything has to be grand,” he said.
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Explaining the transition from film to series, he said, “Because it’s a series now, it needs to extend, that’s the fundamental… you can’t journey through a singular plot. The protagonists are always going to evolve. It’s not solely rested on a particular character.
“The stuff itself is called Anikulapo. Anikulapo is a title, it’s not a name. The next Anikulapo might be a pretty much younger person. The protagonists are going to evolve. So it’s not going to be solely rested on a particular character.
“Like, I said, it’s a title, Anikulapo, meaning the one with death in his pouch. Anybody who is able to bring people back to life or return from the dead can be Anikulapo. So it keeps going,” he said.
According to him, the series carries strong moral and societal lessons.
Nollywood Standards
Addressing the state of the Nigerian film industry, the 40-year-old actor pointed to funding as a key challenge.
“The standard is here. The only thing now is the personality around those standards. Sometimes you can have a very good script, but because of budget, the expression, the storytelling will turn another way around.… People create good things, great stuff, good stories. But when it comes to execution, everything is still about the budget input,” he said.
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For Afolayan, the foundation of his craft remains the story itself.
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