From making funny skits on Instagram to appearing in Kunle Afolayan’s blockbuster movie, Anikulapo, Olayiwola Isaac, popularly known as Layi Wasabi, is making efforts to keep exploring the entertainment industry. In this interview with SEGUN ADEBAYO, Wasabi shares the story of his journey into skit making, acting and more that should be expected from him.
You became popular with skit making, and suddenly, you are in the face of everybody. Now everybody wants to see you beyond the Instagram. You have transitioned into acting and it seems you started on the right footing with Anikulapo. Does your quick rise come as a surprise to you?
Okay, let me describe the feeling like this. You know when you’re a child, and you put your leg into your father’s shoes, you know you will walk around in those shoes, feeling funny. That was how being on the set of Anikulapo felt to me. It was a huge leap. Because I also felt, was I ready to take on the show? For the longest time, I’ve always been a lover of theatre. I’ve always wanted to do movies; I’ve always wanted to do stage performances and even stand-up comedy. I just wanted to do entertainment in every dramatic form.
Did you ever think Anikulapo would bring you to the limelight?
I didn’t think that Anikulapo would be one of the first movies that I would be doing as Layi Wasabi. So when I got the call from the director that I was part of the cast for Anikulapo, it was a thrilling experience.
It is one thing that you’re called to be on the set of Anikulapo it’s another thing to have the idea that it is being pushed by Netflix; what was that feeling like?
For me, I think Netflix came as an afterthought. So I think the first thing that came to me aside the sponsor is the project itself. So, knowing that Netflix is there makes you know the level that the production of this movie is going to be on. And that for me is super amazing. You know that this is a large scale and a very hyper-genre. But for me, what struck me first as an actor was what I had to do to get the art form at its best. I knew Kunle Afolayan as someone who is very committed to the art. Someone like that would demand your best, you know, interpretation to play whatever role he’s giving you.
So you felt you had to bring your A-game into this?
So first of all, I knew that I was on his set with Kunle Afolayan; that was the first thing on my mind. Then I told myself that Layi, you have to bring your A game to this thing. Then being in a Netflix project, it dawned on me that it was a Netflix project on the sets. I thought, okay, this is serious business, boy; you have to do what you’re doing right.
Yeah, some people were expecting that they would see the green lace and the green cocktail just like you do on Instagram. Were you overwhelmed at any point?
It was simply a dream-like situation for me. That was how it feels. I felt I was like a kid in a museum. That’s how it feels. I remember the first time I saw Taiwo Hassan. He passed me and I was like I grew up watching the people I was on set with, I felt like I needed a tour guide on that set. It was a huge moment in my life. So it was, it was a, was a dreamlike experience, very humbling, and it was very inspiring.
What do you think about the storyline that you played in?
It was a role that was offered, but I kind of understood why the casting director would pick me for the role. You know, and the two other people that, cause, the role I was supposed to play the role of someone that was pestering Saro. So, I could understand why the casting director was picking me for the role. The casting director decided to pick like Wasabi, Sisi Quadri, may God rest his soul and Funmi Awelewa for that role because if you’re familiar with things that we’ve done aside this project, you know that we know how to lambast people with our words.
You have been nominated African Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA); how does it feel to be recognized for your creative work?
I’m grateful to God for life. I’m also grateful to African Magic and MultiChoice for the opportunity and the recognition as a lot of work goes into digital content creation and it is gratifying to have my work listed as something worth this honor.
Can you share with us your journey as a content creator and how you got started in this field?
My journey as a content creator has pretty much been on jet fuel. Although I’ve been doing content creation since I was about 9-10. I’ve also been acting since I was 13. Content creation for digital space I started in 2021 and there were a few challenges here and there but overall it’s been an amazing experience. I was able to gather an audience quite quickly. It came with a few challenges but the upsides are better than the downsides.
What inspires you to create content, and where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
What inspired me to create content was the opportunity to share jokes and ideas. I’ve always been someone who love social gatherings for that opportunity to just tell stories and share jokes with friends. Creating content felt like a way to do that.
What do you consider to be your unique style or niche as a content creator?
Layi: I think I create content for different purposes. Some content I create and the purpose could be entertainment, some for people to relate to. My shooting star which is POP one man in front of the camera and behind the camera will be mixed style. A niche as to the genre of comedy, I really don’t know. I just feel like I create content for a particular purpose or one that I have in mind at the time.
How do you stay motivated and overcome creative blocks or challenges in your work?
What motivates me the most is my audience; it’s very motivating seeing the pool of people who didn’t know you before or haven’t met in real life just rooting for you, hoping to see you win, and looking forward to what you want to do next. It’s a very motivating feeling and how I overcome creative blocks; sometimes I just step back from the drawing board and just experience life a little bit. I might as well grab a book and read or watch a movie. That’s the process of overcoming creative blocks for me.
Can you walk us through your creative process, from idea generation to final execution?
I think it differs from idea to idea. Some ideas come as finished thoughts so from the inception of the idea you have the beginning of the concept and how it’s supposed to end. The only thing I would do as a creative sometimes is just to build the dialogue and the acting it would require. For some ideas, it could take months, or weeks to have a perfect ending to the beginning of the story. It differs. In situations like that, ideas that don’t come as finished thoughts, I have to focus on the ones that are almost complete or finished already. Sometimes I revisit the old ones that I’ve not completed. I don’t force it most of the time.
How do you leverage social media and online platforms to engage with your audience and grow your brand as a content creator?
It’s important for a content creator to grow a significant amount of following and not just that but a following that you understand. If you understand how to navigate your audience and you have amassed a significant amount of audience, this is what builds your influence in as a brand and a content creator. That’s how I try to leverage on social media by understanding my audience and trying to expand the reach I have as a content creator.
Do you see yourself winning the AMVCA Award?
It’s a privilege to be nominated. I hope I’m able to win and I also recognize the fact that I’m shortlisted among great people as well but it will be a pleasure. I would lie if I say have not pictured myself winning the award but it’s a pleasure being nominated and recognized for the honor of winning an AMVCA.
ALSO READ: New National ID card to be issued via banks — FG
Source: