Veteran Nollywood actor, Yemi Solade, has revealed how a clash with his former church nearly ruined his acting career, after a pastor demanded that he reject film roles scheduled for Sundays.
The 64-year-old actor made the disclosure during a recent episode of the Honest Bunch podcast, recalling a 2013 incident that made him withdraw from church activities.
According to him, church leaders insisted that his Sundays must be strictly dedicated to worship, a directive he described as unrealistic for someone in the entertainment industry.
“Something happened in my church. I got into the service with my wife in 2013. I had been told to tell producers not to call me for work on Sundays. And I cursed the pastor,” Solade recounted.
He argued that the demand was an attempt to interfere with his livelihood, likening church services to the pastor’s own business.
“It is from that work you said I shouldn’t do on Sundays that I put hand in my pocket and drop money here. So, when will I have time to work? You’re telling me not to leave my house and go to where I earn my living—you want to ruin my career?” he said.
The actor further dismissed the belief that church attendance guarantees spiritual well-being, noting that his exit from church life has brought him greater peace.
“The notion that if you don’t attend church, once life we must die, I haven’t seen anything change. Rather, I have peace. I do well. Because every day of my life, when I was going to church, I got messages and disturbances,” he said.
Solade also criticised the culture of sacrificing work hours and resources in the name of religion, recalling how a technician once diverted part of his money to the church.
“I gave an elderly AC repairer money for materials. Later, when I called, he didn’t pick up because he was in church. Eventually, he admitted he had dropped part of my money there. I told him, ‘That blessing is mine. You took my money to that church. If the prayer works, it will come to me,’” he said.
Beyond religion, the outspoken actor also addressed Nollywood’s origins, challenging the widespread belief that the industry began with the 1992 Igbo blockbuster, Living in Bondage.
He argued that home video production and television dramas predated the film, citing earlier works from the 1980s.
“One very popular account is that Nollywood started with Living in Bondage. But the first home video was actually Shosho Meji, produced by Ade Ajiboye, also known as Big Abbas, in 1988. And don’t forget Things Fall Apart on television in the mid-80s,” he said.
Solade, who studied Theatre Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University, further claimed that the South-East was late in embracing theatre as an academic pursuit.
“You cannot find any actor my age, or slightly younger, who studied theatre in the East, because it never existed there at the time. During my days at Ife, we had NUTAF, the Nigerian Universities Theatre Arts Festival. Only six universities participated then, none from the East,” he noted.
For Solade, Nollywood’s foundation has been oversimplified over the years, with little credit given to contributions from other parts of the country.
The actor, known for his forthright views, has starred in numerous Yoruba and English-language films across four decades and has remained a controversial voice in the industry, often challenging what he considers hypocrisy in religion, Nollywood, and society at large.
