Mike Afolarin: The Golden Boy
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- April 13, 2025
From rising star to a household name, Mike Afolarin is proof that consistency, grit, and sheer talent never go unnoticed. Bursting into mainstream consciousness as Ishaya Bello in Netflix’s Far From Home, Afolarin didn’t just play a character — he captured the hearts of a generation. But long before the glitz of global streaming platforms, he had been putting in the work: short films, indie productions, and an unwavering belief in the art of storytelling.
As both an actor and filmmaker, Afolarin walks the tightrope between performance and creation—and does so with ease. Whether he’s bringing characters to life on screen or crafting narratives behind the camera, his approach is thoughtful, intentional, and rooted in authenticity. His charm, quiet depth, and captivating screen presence mark him as one of Nollywood’s brightest new talents.
But who is Mike Afolarin when the cameras stop rolling? In this exclusive interview, THEWILL DOWNTOWN’s Johnson Chukwueke sits down with the man behind the roles to talk about career highlights, artistic growth, and life beyond fame — from his creative process to his go-to way to unwind. Meet Mike Afolarin — the actor, the storyteller, the dreamer.
Far From Home really brought you into the limelight — what was it like stepping into Ishaya’s world, and how has it shaped your journey as an actor?
Far From Home was an interesting experience for me, and I am really grateful for it. Playing Ishaya came to me at a time when I literally was Ishaya. I mean, Ishaya’s reality and my reality were kinda aligned, so it made it work for me. I was at the point where I was trying to build my dream to further my career in acting, so all of that came together to help me embody the character probably, and I am grateful for the success that the show had, so yeah, that’s basically it.
Before the Netflix buzz, you were already putting in the work. What project do you think truly sharpened your acting skills the most?
To be honest, different projects. I remember doing African Magic’s Brethren for one year straight, and that was an interesting experience for me because I had never spent that much time playing a particular character. So, going to the studio every day and putting in a good number of hours at work kinda helped shape me into becoming the kind of actor I am today. Plus, working with amazing directors like Biodun Stephen on several shows, but the most notable one for me would be Penance— a film I did with her. So yeah, that was also another interesting gig for me performance-wise.
Many people don’t know you’re also a filmmaker. How do you balance being in front of the camera and behind it?
For me, it’s basically just me expressing my creative side in whatever it is I find my hands doing. When I am not in front of the camera, I try to occupy myself behind with some other activities. Sometimes, I am not on set shooting any projects; I spend time doing some photography, or I could just be on another set just to learn and see what goes on around there.
Your performances have a raw, emotional edge to them. What’s your process when preparing for a new role?
Mostly, I just try to know the character to the best of my knowledge; I ask as many questions as possible that I need to know about the character, and I try to see if I have any similarities with the characters so I can relate with what the character feels. But most importantly, when I am on set, I just play the truth of what that character is feeling in the moment, that’s how I do it.
As Nollywood grows globally, what kind of stories are you most passionate about telling?
To be honest, I feel like Nollywood has a lot to offer on a global scale. We have a lot of legends we can make biopics about, legends in different fields, not just acting now. You have legends in music, in sports, and even in politics, we have stories we can tell on a global scale. We also have stories of our history that we can tell globally, we can talk about different cultures when it comes to folklore, and different gods, and even tell superhero movies as well, we can explore that.
Do you have any dream roles or dream directors you’re hoping to work with — locally or internationally?
I am just looking forward to anything more challenging, anything that has more challenge than what I have had to do so far. I would like to play something that has a lot of stunts in it, something that I have to go into training for. International superhero movies, and maybe a biopic that I have to really study someone in order to portray the person, and for dream directors, yeah, there is a long list for that.
How do you deal with criticism, especially in such a public-facing profession like acting?
Well, you have to have a thick skin first of all. You also have to be able to dissect or filter the criticism. Some are pure hate, while some are constructive, so you need to be able to filter which one you want because criticism is good. You just need to know where it is coming from and know if it’s meant to build you up or tear you down. There are different ways to look at it. I just feel like when you know what you are doing and you know your craft, you will be able to filter it properly and know when someone is speaking from an informed perspective. Just pick the one that can build you up and ignore the rest.
What would you say is the biggest misconception people have about actors in Nigeria?
I don’t really know, but maybe the fact that a lot of people think actors are terrible people. People think we are divas and are too proud, something like that. That would be the misconception I feel a lot of people have about actors in Nigeria. I feel like a lot of people have a high expectation when they are meeting these actors, and you never know, it just might be a bad day for an actor, and they aren’t having a good time, and unfortunately, it might lead to a fan getting burnt by that, but it doesn’t make the actor a bad person, they are humans too. I have met a lot of actors, and trust me, they are some of the sweetest and most fun people to hang around with. Sometimes, the pressure of the work gets to them and they react in ways that are not so nice, but besides that, they are nice people.
Tell us about a moment on set — funny, frustrating, or powerful — that you’ll never forget.
I kinda always have that on every project that I work on. Let me use A Lagos Love Story as an example. It has always been a childhood dream of mine to make music and perform my music to the crowd, and then I got a character to play an artist in A Lagos Love Story, and I had to record music as well as perform to a crowd in the film. So while on stage, I just had a realisation that this was actually one of my dreams when growing up, when I was much younger, so yeah, that was a very profound moment for me. But there’s always that sort of moment in every project I have worked in, Far From Home, it was when I was in a scene with RMD(Richard Mofe Damijo), and I was like “Wow, I used to watch this man when I was much younger, and now we are in a scene together.”
When the cameras stop rolling, how does Mike unwind? What’s your ideal chill day?
My ideal chill day is just me being home all day. I don’t do anything outside of my house. When I am not on set, I get up in the morning, go to the gym, come back home, take a nap, watch something, play video games, and have video calls with my family, so that’s pretty much it.
What’s a hobby or creative outlet you enjoy that fans would be surprised to know about?
I would say photography, but I feel like a lot of people know that I already do that now, but yeah, that’s my most fun hobby right now. I am getting more and more into it by the day.
What role has family played in supporting your dreams and keeping you grounded?
My family has always supported my career, and that for me is priceless because it would have been harder for me to do what I am doing right now if they were not in support of it. I know a number of people who don’t have the right support from their families, and that makes it difficult for them to maybe go for auditions or be away for months on set and all that. But my family is very supportive, they cheer me up when needed and always pray for me, so that’s pretty much it.
