I NEARLY QUIT ACTING BECAUSE OF DEPRESSION, BUT PURPOSE KEPT ME GOING — THE TRUE LIFE STORY OF MUYIWA ADEMOLA

I have been in the Nigerian movie industry for decades, but if you’d asked me at one point whether I’d continue acting, I might not have given you the answer I give today. From the outside, I seem like someone who has always been confident and secure in his craft. But there was a period when I seriously considered quitting acting because of depression and frustration, not because I didn’t love it anymore, but because I felt lost in the direction the industry was heading.

For years, I built my name in Yoruba cinema as someone who tells serious and meaningful stories. My films were deep, emotional, and meant to touch the human spirit. Then the industry began to shift. There was an influx of comedy films, and marketers wanted me to follow suit. I tried. I really did. But it didn’t feel natural. I kept trying to make something work that just wasn’t me. �

That period was difficult. I became depressed. I remember feeling like my talent was no longer needed, like the art that once gave me joy now mocked my presence. I started to doubt myself. I questioned whether I was still relevant. Many people around me, even some in the industry, suggested I was past my prime. Those feelings dejected me deeply. I felt like my career, the one I had poured my heart into, might be coming to an end.

I was on the brink of giving up when she stepped in, my wife, Omolara. She saw what I couldn’t see in myself. She reminded me that this phase was temporary and that one style of storytelling fading didn’t mean the end of my journey. She kept telling me: Hold on. Your purpose isn’t gone, it’s just evolving. Her words were not empty encouragement, they were the truth that I desperately needed.

She stayed by me, encouraged me to keep writing and acting in movies that mattered to me, and helped me rediscover why I first stepped into the industry. I realized then that being a serious filmmaker was not a limitation — it was my strength. Gradually, my passion returned. I found roles and stories that aligned with who I am, and I began to thrive again.

Now, looking back, I see that moment not as a failure but as a turning point. I didn’t quit; I evolved. My journey taught me something invaluable: when purpose fades, it’s not gone ,it’s just waiting to be remembered. And for me, remembering that was everything.