Funke Akindele shares how she learnt screenwriting by watching Hollywood fillmmaker Tyler Perry

• Veteran actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele shares how she learnt to write movies by watching Tyler Perry, whom she described as her role model.

• Akindele said she has managed to stay relevant and successful by embracing reinvention.

• The box office titan also addressed the controversy that surrounded the subject of filmmakers using dance as a promotional tool.

In a recent interview with Bella Naija, Nollywood icon Funke Akindele revealed how she learned production by watching the movies of American actor, producer, and director Tyler Perry.

"I didn't go to school to study film. I just watch films. I actually learned to write by watching Tyler Perry's movies and series. That's my role model. I love him so much, and I can't wait to work with him," she says about how the American media mogul inspired her to embrace film production.

Akindele's revelation instantly adds context to her approach to filmmaking, as she shares striking similarities with Perry. Like the American filmmaker who is famous for making emotionally charged movies with strong black female leads, Akindele's movies also embrace similar characters, such as 'Your Excellency' and 'A Tribe of Judah', which have strong female leads.

Tyler Perry is also known for his comedy movies, especially for the black family matriarch "Madea", whom he plays. Funke Akindele's famous "Jennifer" character also mirrors some of the comical traits.

READ MORE: 10 Tyler Perry films every aspiring Nigerian filmmaker should study

A trained Lawyer, Funke Akindele's decision to become a filmmaker through self-learning and drawing from her experience as an actress has made her into one of Nollywood's biggest movie moguls. The award-winning star leads the Nigerian box office for the highest-grossing movie of all time. Her 2025 hit 'Behind The Scenes' grossed ₦2.76 billion. In 2023, she became the first filmmaker to surpass the 1 billion grossing mark with her movie 'A Tribe Called Judah,' which pulled ₦1.40 billion. In 2024, she followed up with another box office monster with the movie 'Everybody Loves Jenifa,' which grossed ₦1.88 billion.

On how she has managed to stay relevant in her nearly two decades of experience as an actress, the veteran star shared that she embraces reinvention and evolution.

"So much has changed because of the experience so far. Every stage I get into, I tell myself reinvention as to occur. I evolve. I get tired of a space quickly. After this success, what is the next thing for me?"

These traits have paid off for the screen icon, who has become one of the defining stars of the Nigerian movie industry this decade. In her lengthy career, Akindele revealed that she picked up lessons from everything she has taken part in, including the hit TV series 'Need to Know' and the Yoruba movie ecosystem.

In the interview, she also addressed the controversy of her choice to use dancing as a way to promote her movies. According to her, she does significantly more than dance and refuses to let her hard work be belittled.

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