Today we’d like to introduce you to Blessing Oluwole.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Nigeria and moved to the states as a baby. I live in New York for pretty much the first half of my life and then moved to California, Inglewood to be exact. I’ve always been a performer, first a musician, then adding a little dance and finally in college, I started acting. I have no real formal training in dance or in music but I’d like to think I’m pretty good at both. That being said, my bread and butter is definitely acting. I’ve been acting for about 6 years at this point. And I have truly never had something so completely take over my life the way acting has. I just… love this form of art. The craft takes so much time, so much patience and so much frustration just to get to the gold and feel like you have earned something. And then repeat. It’s the definition of insanity but meh… I’ll be the first to say that most actors, if not all, are legally insane. From that first college class, to eventually performing in stage shows, to eventually being a lead in those shows, to directing my own shows, to becoming represented, to making films and having them in festivals, to being on tv… I mean, it’s been a gorgeous journey and ride and I crave going farther.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth. Like I mentioned it gets frustrating. This profession is, in an immensely serious way, incredibly hard. The statistics show that it’s hard, the politics in the business is hard but bringing it back to my journey, what’s most difficult is living up to expectations that I give myself. My own drive to do everything often isolates me, often has me doubting myself and afraid to reach out and be open about what I feel is bothering for either fear of being a nuisance or someone not understanding me. Then having to constantly enforce and reinforce that I am not only in need of others helping me, but I’m also worthy of it. It’s a complicated road travel but it’s not meant to be easy I’ve realized. All I can truly do is be a person. And that is the core of both the profession and of life. Be a person, hopefully, a good person, definitely a kind person, and live life in a way that exemplifies that doing what I love will pay off. And I truly believe it will.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an actor. I act for stage, for film, and for tv. I love all of it, because it is an opportunity to showcase a life. Be it in a small way or a big way, it’s hopefully something that sticks with an audience. I couldn’t say what I’m known for yet, I think that’s still a bar I need to climb too, but I’ve certainly had my highlights. Being from Inglewood, I was very fortunate to have one of my first professional roles be on Insecure, which is a show based in Inglewood. In fact, the first apartment that Issa lives in is on the very street I used to live on and one of my close friends lives in that same apartment. I also just recently finished doing a show about a Nigerian family on CBS and as a Nigerian-born man, it was so beautiful on be on that set, surround by my culture, and work with that cast. I’ve gotten to have multiple parts of my identity represented and as of now, those network credits specifically because of those shows are what I’m most proud of. As for what sets me apart… watch me, I have an idea but I’d rather we find out together.
How do you define success?
Impact. Simply impact but on a scale that isn’t reachable in one’s own local space. The beauty of film and tv is that it’s global. To potentially be able to reach people around the globe, especially black men, and show them the versatility of their blackness would definitely be my definition of success. I hope to be play so many different kinds of meaningful characters. The kind that give perspective to audiences and if I could do that and inspire others to also do that, then I know I got to change the world in my own little way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @bl3ssmyb3ats
Image Credits
Po Wei Su
