Meet Damilare Kuku, an Actor that believes in honing her Craft everyday with constant Practice and Prayers...

Meet Damilare Kuku, she holds a Masters degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos, and a Bachelor's Degree in Dramatic Arts from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, she hails from Ogun State, Nigeria.
Damilare has always been drawn to acting but the realisation that she really wanted to be an actor was from watching movies like 'Yemi my Lover' and the 'Sound of Music', she was intrigued by the power of stories and characters had over her. She felt the pain 'Yemi' in 'Yemi my Lover' longed for his lover in the film and wept when the 'Captain' and 'Maria' could not be together for a while in the 'Sound of music' . At that point she realised that acting was a tool that she wanted to master. Acting is the most powerful profession in the world; it is the only profession you can wear different hats and make people feel different emotions. She rememberers how she world sit with her Mum and Grandma to watch these movies several times and constantly felt the gnawing in her gut that she wanted to tell those stories and become those characters.
She says she is an actor because she is certain no other profession will make her feel as fulfilled. The fact that she can live in different peoples worlds and experience their truth because she is an actor, today she can be the President of a nation, tomorrow a mother, and all these are made possible through acting. She believes acting is the most immediate way to reach people, Acting is her medium to tell stories that connect with her and it helps her to lend a voice to that girl or boy who is watching and thinking that is me or I know someone like that.
Dami says she was inspired by a lot of people in Nollywood and outside the Country to act, in Nollywood she is obsessed with Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, she usually wait till holidays while in Secondary School to visit the video shop and watch all their movies, then at some point, she was drawn to Stella Damascus, Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw, Jim Iyke, Blessing Egbe and Ramsey Nouah. Ramsey used to give her so much joy as a young quirky teenager who had very little experience with infatuation or love, she remembers the first time she watched a film he was in ; 'Blind Trust' she thinks, she spent the next day I Church fantasising about marrying him while her Mother was preaching, she was sitting at the Choir day dreaming of Ramsey.
She got inspired to take a step towards actualising her dream to become an actor after watching the series '24', that showed Americans that a black man can be president. At that points realised if she really want to make people see her point of view, then acting is a fantastic medium. She can inspire change through this noble profession.

After making the decision to become an actor, she had a talk with her mother to let her know she wasn't going to be a doctor but an actor, and the moment she said that it dawned on her that there was no going back, she had to put her intentions out into the. universe and follow up with actions, so she started attending auditions, directing small theatre productions and interning in production companies to learn more. As an actor, she knew she needed vast knowledge and not just in acting but everything that is associated with it so that she could understand. it as an organic genre of the arts. Till date she is happy to be in a room filled with. actors, directors, producers, set designers and so many other experts. She is able to view various stories fro m their angles and this helps her understand the stories she tells better and make more informed choices as an actor.
In 2013, she started acting professionally, and she said it wasn't easy and still isn't but because rejection is the step child of acting, you learn to grow a thick. skin. and keep putting one foot in front of the next. She had a very brief stint on Tinsel which was her first TV job but her very first professional acting job was the highly acclaimed Theatre production 'Kakadu the Musical' directed by Kanayo Omo. She learnt a lot from participating in 'Kakadu the musical', the importance of knowing a story inside out, how it is not just ok to take a script as an actor but you. must understand the story and character, the importance of team work. Yes, you can shine alone as an actor but its is more beautiful to shine together as an. ensemble (this includes cast and crew), the fact that  talent is never enough, attitude, discipline and social etiquette also matters amongst other things as an actor, Tina Mba also taught her so much. while working on 'Kakadu the Musical', she played her Mother and she carried the role off stage as well. Dami recommend. that actors should strive to get their first experience through. stage, it shapes their realities nicely. She has since been part of some amazing projects like; Chief Daddy, Hear Word (Pidgin Version), Castle and Castle, Hotel Majestic, Ten Virgins, The outcast, Chatroom, Bodyguard and Zahra, Kakadu the Musical (2013 - 2016), Child International, Ewa,  e.t.c.
God is her number 1 role. model because he is just awesome,  she strives each day to be like him, she admires Merly Streep and Kristen Wig, she loves how Meryl constantly beats her own record, she is her own competition. That is the kind of career she is working towards. Kristen is such a comedy queen and she loves to watch and learn from her, Mercy Johnson really inspires her because she is so talented and grounded,  Genevieve Nnaji because she consistently lives life on her own teams.
On a lighter note she says if she wasn't an actor she would probably be a chair. She loves travelling, writing and. eating in new places around the world.
Damilare says she stands out because she is 'Damilare Kuku; she is in her lane running her race with God, she doesn't compare herself to anyone. She is very determined, funny, quirky, hardworking, inquisitive, humble and a badass cook.
Dami is a very versatile actor, she believes she can play any role, she rehearses till she gets it right.
You can find Damilare Kuku on;
Instagram: @damilarekuku
Twitter: @Damilarekuku1

Damilare Kuku