Showmax Spotlights Omotola Jalade Ekeinde: From accidental auditioner to global superstar

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde accompanied a friend to an acting audition in 1995 and thus, her immensely successful acting career was born.

Her first movie was Venom of Justice, where she played the lead role due to her impressive, albeit accidental, audition. A year later, she appeared in the critically acclaimed movie, Mortal Inheritance, which made her a household name. Her performance in the movie earned her the “Best Actress in an English Speaking Movie” award and “Best Actress Overall” at The Movie Awards in 1997. At the time, she was the youngest person to achieve such a feat at 19.

By early 2000, Omotola had become an A-list actress in Nigeria with a commanding profile that turned every movie into a blockbuster and a must-see one. In 2010, she featured in the cinematic blockbuster, Ije with Genevieve Nnaji. Other popular films she has also appeared in include Blood Sister, Last Flight To Abuja, Beyonce and Rihanna, Games Women Play, Sister’s Love, The Tribunal, Alter Ego, and more.

In 2012, she launched her reality show, Omotola: The Real Me, on Africa Magic Entertainment, becoming the first Nigerian actress to have her reality show.  A year later, she was recognised by Times Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, cementing her status as a global superstar.

In a career that has spanned more than 25 years starring in more than 200 movies with about 20 significant awards, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde belongs to the top echelon of Nollywood and has maintained a scandal-free brand. But she is only just starting, she says, at 44.

“I feel brand new. I feel like I’m just starting all over again. Do you know why? For every stage, there is a new challenge, a new thing.”