I missed a big opportunity, Bunmi Nelson regrets ignoring Funke Akindele

Nigerian actress Bunmi Nelson has expressed regret over not recognizing opportunities to support fellow actress Funke Akindele during their early careers. Nelson revealed this during an interview with fellow actress Biola Adebayo on the Talk to B podcast. Reflecting on her experience, Nelson admitted that she never believed Akindele would achieve such success and thus never saw her as a potential ally.

"If I knew Funke would go far like this, I would have held her tight," she said. Nelson used this experience to caution against underestimating others, emphasizing that circumstances can change unexpectedly. "I didn’t see Funke Akindele going far; that’s why in life, don’t underestimate anyone," she advised. The opportunity arose in 2006 when Funke Akindele approached Nelson for a house she owned, which would be used as a filming location.

Nelson, known for renting out her home for productions, had often given her house to filmmakers while also being involved in a soap opera. However, she admitted to ignoring Akindele's calls at the time, believing that she would eventually contact her again. Nelson admitted her mistake, stating, "The mistake I now made was I just felt… she will be calling me then, I will just ignore.

I don’t know if it was my village people ooo." Despite the missed opportunity, Nelson now believes the film industry was not as crowded then as it is today, which is why she could have supported Akindele. She added that Akindele had also encouraged aspiring actors to join the Yoruba movie industry during that period. Looking back, Nelson said this experience taught her the importance of humility.

"If there’s anything I have learned in this life, it is humility. I’m more humble now than anything else because life has taught me the hard way that nothing is constant," she stated.