The Journey - Accelerate Masterclass With John Boyega

By Oluwatoyin Adeleye

When you hear that there is a filmmaking masterclass with John Boyega, then you know there’s no other place you ought to be.

British-Nigerian actor, John Boyega was hyped, psyched and super excited to have a fun day with the Accelerate team and family to share his ‘journey’ and experience in filmmaking, but his excitement was incomparable to ours.

Powered by Access Bank, the event – which was hosted by movie director and producer, Seyi Babatope – held at the bank’s head office at Victoria Island, Lagos.

Themed ‘The Journey’, the session began with a short introductory speech by Colette Otusheso, Head, AccelerateTV, who stated that “the journey of any creative is filled with ups and downs, but there are critical lessons to be learnt from the career of a successful actor like John Boyega which can help improve and massively impact Nigeria’s creative industry”.

From left – John Boyega, Colette Otusheso and Seyi Babatope

Sharing his path to Hollywood success, John Boyega stressed the need to understand the business of the entertainment industry, staying committed to personal development, and also emphasised his intention to help share more Nigerian and African stories on the global stage.

“We have such a rich culture in Nigeria, and over the next few years, we are looking to share them more of these stories with the world. I am really interested and invested in this adventure and I have launched a production company to achieve this,” he said.

The actor also engaged the audience on getting his first acting job, managing the transition during dry spells, and landing the lead role in the Star Wars franchise movie.

“There is a process in achieving success in the entertainment just like any other industry, but you have to be able to put in the hours, hone your craft, get mentors who can provide constructive criticism and be ready to give it everything. After my first movie feature, Attack the Block, I wasn’t getting calls for auditions despite promises from studio executives. I was exhausted at a point , but I used the time to improve my character, develop my skills and when the big break came through with ‘Star Wars’, I was ready,” he said.