Actress Ireti Doyle says she nearly lost a gig for being the wrong skin colour

The actress shared the photo above on her Instagram page with the caption: “The dark boy, Ola”

According to the Dinner actress, she only got the gig because Wale Fanu, the then director of the commercial, stood his ground and told the client’s rep to allow him “do his thing or take him off the project.” The actress concludes her post by stating how the tide has changed and black is now the rave of the moment.

Her post:

The dark boy, Ola

“I shot my 1st TV commercial over two decades ago. It was a major deal for an upcoming actor; for the visibility and the paycheck. I nearly lost that gig for being the wrong skin colour. I didn’t match the client rep’s ‘ideal’.

Thankfully, the director, Mr Wale Fanu wasn’t a pushover. He told the chap to let him do his thing or take him off the project.

Fast forward 20 years, ‘Melanin Poppin’ has become a # (hashtag) and the dark skinned girl is having her day in the sun.
It might take a little while longer, but eventually, it will be clear that ‘loud and obnoxious’ is not quite the same as ‘bold and audacious’…And that being polite, soft spoken and demure, is not ‘fake’; neither is it a ‘weakness.”

Asides acting, Ireti Doyle is also a writer who has several screen plays to her credits. Her most recent stage credits include The V----a Monologues, Olorounbi The Musical, Hear Word and The Wives. Described as an ‘actor’s actor’ by her peers, she is known for pitch-perfect performances.