• Thursday, May 02, 2024
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BusinessDay

I won’t take on roles that won’t teach morals- Akinyemi

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Temitope Akinyemi, an actor and filmmaker, has reaffirmed his commitment to only accepting acting roles that align with his values and promote moral lessons.

He said; ”As an actor, one has to be versatile and creative. But I wouldn’t take on a role that will compromise my belief and jeopardize my home. I will not take on a role that wouldn’t teach morals. I won’t go nude or have direct sex in movies”.

Akinyemi is the first male child of his family. His father hails from Oyo state while his mother hails from Ogun state. The graduate of the University of Lagos who is married and blessed with kids also recounted how he initially put his career on hold to focus on business.

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In 2015, following his relocation to Ogun State, he made the decision to revive his acting career. Alongside a friend who shared his passion for acting, he established a performing arts group called ‘Integrity Icon Performing Art.’

Akinyemi explained that since 2011, it’s been on and off, for some reason I had to put my acting career on hold in order to focus on business.

However in 2015, Akinyemi relocated to Ogun State and that was when he decided to resurrect my acting career.

“I wanted to create a group with one of my friends who also has a passion for acting. A lady also joined us and became three. We deliberated on what the group’s name should be, I came up with ‘Integrity’ and the lady came up with ‘Icon’ and that was how “Integrity Icon Performing Art.’

“I came into existence. It was actually run like a school, we had some students coming in to join then and I’m the sole financier. Unfortunately I had to dissolve the group some years after because I relocated back to Lagos.

“I however retained the group’s name and a lot of people by then had started calling me “Integrity Icon” because it was the name I opened my Instagram account with, My first production after I got back to Lagos was produced with the name ‘Integrity Icon’ and that was how the name became a brand”.