Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, has revealed that ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ is the most expensive film she has produced, citing the cost of filming in Ghana and Nigeria and transporting cast and crew across borders.

The 49-year-old actress disclosed this during an interview with CNN Africa journalist, Larry Madowo, which started trending on Monday, where she shared insights on her career in filmmaking, success recorded and personal experiences.

Akindele said filming at the Safari Valley Resort in Ghana, alongside the logistics of moving her production team between the two countries, significantly increased the film’s production expenses.

“Everybody Loves Jenifa is a very expensive film because we went to Ghana. We filmed in Ghana and Nigeria. We flew all the cast and crew to Ghana. We filmed in Safari Valley Resort. That is a very expensive place to film,” she said.

The filmmaker also explained that she prefers constructing sets specifically for her productions rather than relying on existing locations or people’s homes.

“I build my set by myself. I don’t go to people’s houses to shoot. I create my set myself. I would rent out a place, or buy a place and start constructing my set there,” she added.

Despite the high production costs, Akindele said the film performed successfully in cinemas and on streaming platforms, although she did not disclose its production budget or earnings from digital distribution.

Released in Nigerian cinemas on December 13, 2024, Everybody Loves Jenifa became one of the country’s highest-grossing films, eventually recording approximately N1.88bn at the box office.

Directed by Akindele and Tunde Olaoye, the comedy-drama featured actors including Nancy Isime, Stan Nze, Falz, Lateef Adedimeji, Layi Wasabi, Jackie Appiah, Omowunmi Dada and Patience Ozokwor.

The film follows Jenifa as she faces competition from a new neighbour while trying to maintain her charitable activities. The story takes a dramatic turn when she and her friends encounter a dangerous drug operation during their visit to Ghana.

Reflecting on the popular character, Akindele said Jenifa was conceived as a village girl determined to become successful in the city, despite her limited education and unconventional command of English.

She said she wanted to create a character whose ambition and determination would reflect the experiences of young people pursuing their dreams.

“I sat down and said to myself, let me create a character from the village that is a ‘wannabe’. She wants to be successful. She does not care if her accent is crazy. She wants to speak English,” she said.

The actress added that she regarded storytelling as a means of entertaining audiences while addressing social issues and encouraging young people to believe in themselves.

“I see storytelling as a tool to show people what is happening in society, address ills and reach out to young people, to help them believe in themselves, because I am very passionate about young people,” she said.

Jenifa first appeared in the 2008 Yoruba comedy-drama film of the same title, which introduced audiences to Suliat, a village girl whose determination to succeed in Lagos often resulted in humorous situations.

The character’s exaggerated accent, unconventional mannerisms and social ambitions quickly gained popularity among Nigerian audiences.

Akindele won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2009 Africa Movie Academy Awards for her performance in the film.

She subsequently released The Return of Jenifa in 2011 and developed the television series Jenifa’s Diary, which premiered in 2015, further establishing the character as one of Nigeria’s recognisable entertainment personalities.

Beyond her career, Akindele also spoke on the emotional difficulties of dealing with personal setbacks, particularly the public attention surrounding her divorce.

The actress was first married to businessman Kehinde Oloyede in May 2012, but the marriage ended in July 2013.

She later married Nigerian rapper and filmmaker, Abdulrasheed Bello, popularly known as JJC Skillz, in May 2016. The couple welcomed twin boys in December 2018.

However, the marriage ended in 2022 after JJC Skillz announced their separation in June of that year, saying they had experienced difficulties for about two years.

Speaking about the emotional burden of having her private life being discussed publicly, Akindele said she sometimes withdrew to cry before gathering the strength to continue with her responsibilities.

“When I cry, I lock myself in the room, break down and cry. When I am done crying, I shake myself, wipe off my tears and come back to life,” she said.

She also acknowledged that public scrutiny sometimes made her worry about being judged for her personal decisions.

“Sometimes I tell myself, you’ve made a mistake again. People are going to judge you. And really, do you care about that? Brace up, do what is right, consider yourself, your mental health, and move on,” she added.

The actress also said her priorities has changed over the years, especially her approach to balancing her career with her happiness.

According to her, she spent much of her earlier years concentrating on work, often placing professional commitments ahead of her personal needs.

She said experience has now taught her the importance of taking care of herself and making her happiness a priority.

“Now I am more intentional about myself, making myself happy. I have noticed that over the years, it was not about myself. You need to take care of yourself,” she said.

Akindele added that professional achievements could come and go, but certain aspects of life required consistent attention.

“In the past, it used to be about work, work. But I have come to realise that work will come and go, but some things stay when the work is gone, and that is factual,” she said.

Watch the video below:

‘𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐚’ 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦 — 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞

Credit: CNN Africa
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