Crying In Movies Helped Me Stand Out From Odunlade Adekola – Lateef Adedimeji

Nollywood actor Lateef Adedimeji has revealed that he became known for emotional crying scenes in movies as a way to distinguish himself from fellow actor Odunlade Adekola.

Speaking during an interview with media personality Morayo Afolabi Brown on her YouTube podcast, Lateef said that when he first joined the movie industry, many people referred to him as the actor who looked like Odunlade Adekola.

According to him, he wanted to build his own identity and be recognized for something unique, which led him to embrace emotionally demanding roles that required him to cry on screen.

The actor said the strategy eventually paid off, as many fans began referring to him as the “crying machine,” even if they did not know his real name.

He said:

“At some point, people started calling me the crying machine. They don’t know my name, but they describe me as that guy that cries a lot in movies.

“When I came into the entertainment industry, people used to call me that guy that looks like Odunlade, but I wanted people to know me for a particular thing, hence my crying talent.”

Lateef also spoke about his popular comic character, Iya Peju, revealing that the role was created during the COVID-19 lockdown.

He explained that he initially did not take the character seriously until fans began requesting more of the skits.

He added:

“The Iya Peju character started in lockdown, and it wasn’t something I took seriously until people started asking for more.”