Nollywood actor Lateef Adedimeji has revealed that his frequent on-screen crying was a calculated strategy to carve out a unique identity in the competitive Nigerian film industry. Speaking on The Morayo Show aired on YouTube on July 7, 2026, the actor explained that he deliberately made crying his signature skill early in his career after carefully studying the industry and identifying a gap in emotional performances.
Deliberate Strategy Behind the Tears
Adedimeji admitted that his entry into Nollywood was far from smooth. Early on, audiences recognized him mostly through his physical resemblance to an established colleague. "People would say, 'That guy that resembles Odun, Odun's brother,'" he recalled. While he appreciated the comparison, he knew it was not enough to build a lasting career on someone else's identity.
Rather than waiting for bigger roles to come his way, Adedimeji said he sat down and studied what was missing in the performances around him. The new father of triplets said he identified emotional expression, particularly on-screen crying, as something actors were not fully exploring, yet audiences responded to deeply. "What is it that people are not paying much attention to that is still important?" he said he asked himself.
Mastering the Craft
From that point, even when a script only required him to shed tears briefly, he committed fully to that moment. "If I was given a role where I only had to shed tears for two seconds, I would mount pressure on it and make those come well," he explained. "I learnt that and had to practise it over time because, as an entertainer, you have to be versatile. You have to know a bit about everything."
According to Adedimeji, his plan worked as audiences began describing him as 'that guy who cries so much in movies' before they even knew his name. "People started calling me a crying machine. They didn't know my name, but they would say, 'That guy who cries so much in movies' when describing me," he shared.
From 'Crying Machine' to Household Name
For Adedimeji, that moment of being identified by a trait, even an unusual one, signaled real progress. "That was when I knew I was getting somewhere because people were beginning to identify me with something that is of me, then eventually you get to know my name," he said. Today, Adedimeji is one of Nollywood's most recognized faces, with his emotional range widely credited as one of the qualities that sets him apart from his peers.
Adedimeji also shared earlier that he and his wife, Mo Bimpe, endured years of waiting before the unforgettable moment they discovered they were expecting triplets. During a recent interview, the actor revealed how the pregnancy journey reshaped his views on patience, family, and fatherhood, describing the news of triplets as one of the biggest surprises of his life. He praised his wife's strength throughout the pregnancy and delivery, noting that while they now have three boys, she hopes to welcome a daughter someday.
