Nigerian actress Bunmi Nelson has admitted that she regrets failing to support fellow actress Funke Akindele when she was still building her career.
Nelson spoke during an interview with actress Biola Adebayo on the Talk to B podcast, shared on Sunday.
Looking back, she said she never expected Akindele to become as successful as she is today.
“If I knew Funke would go far like this, I would have held her tight,” she said.
Nelson used the experience to warn people against looking down on others, saying circumstances can change.
“I didn’t see Funke Akindele going far; that’s why in life, don’t underestimate anyone. Don’t look down on anyone except when you’re admiring their shoe lace,” she said.
She recalled meeting Akindele in 2006 after the actress learned that her house could be used for filming. Nelson said she often allowed filmmakers to shoot at her home while she also worked on a soap opera.
“I used to give people my house to shoot. I just love it. I used to do location then, and I was also in a soap opera. Funke now approached me and said she needed a house. She even brought Mama Fali Werepe to our house then at Magodo that she wanted to shoot,” Nelson recalled.
However, Nelson admitted that she often ignored Akindele’s calls.
“The mistake I now made was I just felt… she will be calling me then, I will just ignore. I don’t know if it was my village people ooo,” she said.
She said she missed a major opportunity because the industry was less crowded at the time.
“I had every opportunity when Funke was calling me because the industry was not overpopulated like now,” she said.
“I missed that big opportunity in 2006 and 2007 because she was telling them to join the Yoruba movie industry,” Nelson said.
She said the experience taught her humility.
“If there’s anything I have learned in this life, it is humility. I’m more humble now than anything else because life has taught me the hard way that nothing is constant,” she stated.
