INTERVIEW: Why I’ll never go nude in movies, by Halimah Ganiyu

In the vibrant and ever-evolving world of Nollywood, Halimah Ganiyu is a shining star on the rise, captivating audiences with her talent, passion, and dedication to her craft. With a heart beating for storytelling and a soul on fire for the craft, Halimah has etched her name in the annals of Nigerian cinema. In this interview with TheCable Lifestyle’s PELUMI BOLAWA, Halima pulls back the curtain on her remarkable journey, revealing the triumphs, tribulations, and unwavering passion that have made her a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.

Pelumi Bolawa: How did your journey in Nollywood begin?

Halimah Ganiyu: My acting journey started when I decided that this is what I wanted to do. I was around six or seven years old when I decided that I wanted to become an actor. I can’t remember why I wanted to, but it was just very exciting to watch movies and see Nollywood actors like Genevieve, Omotola, and RMD. So many of our veterans inspired me into acting.

I wrote my first script when I was about seven or eight years old. At that time, our school used to stage performances every week, class by class. When it was my class’s turn to perform, I wrote a script with my classmates. We developed it, staged it, and it was exciting. I loved it.

Additionally, my dad was very passionate about stage performances. He used to perform when he was in school, and even when he could no longer perform, he would take us to the theatre to watch performances. All of these experiences together cemented my decision to become an actor. It was something I stuck with throughout my life; from primary school to secondary school, and then to university, where I studied Theater Arts.

After graduation, my dad introduced me to a friend of his in the Yoruba film industry. She connected me to my first gig in the film world, which was for a short film.

Coincidentally, it was titled ‘Halimat’, and I played the lead role. This was my first foray into the film world, and it further solidified my decision to become an actor.

Pelumi Bolawa: What are the low moments in your career?

Halimah Ganiyu: Being creative in Nigeria means that you will have moments of ups and downs. It’s a normal thing when you’re in a creative field. There are so many highs and lows in this industry, and I’ve had my fair share of both.

The moments I would describe as my down moments are probably when I’m unable to book a gig for a while. It can be demoralizing and can affect you if you’re not careful.

At those moments, you start to doubt yourself. Imposter syndrome creeps in when you haven’t done anything in a while. It’s a mental struggle and a mental torture, and you just have to learn how to walk through those moments.

Pelumi Bolawa: What kind of roles do you see as red flags?

Halimah Ganiyu: Of course, I see myself playing different roles. That’s the joy of being an actor, doing different things, playing different characters, being a different person each time, and living different lives. It’s really exciting for me and one of the joys of being an actor. It’s something I really love doing.

As for red flags, I don’t think I have many. Probably the only red flag for me is going stark naked in a movie. That’s the only thing I wouldn’t do because it doesn’t align with my morals or values.

Pelumi Bolawa: What are your motivations and challenges in Nollywood?

Halimah Ganiyu: There are so many motivations and challenges in the industry. Like I said, the creative space is a lot. As for motivations, one thing that motivates me a lot is the love and passion I have for the craft.

Also, seeing that people watch my work and enjoy it is incredibly satisfying. There’s nothing as fulfilling as that.

As for challenges, the major challenge I’ve faced is not being able to book a gig for a long time. There was a time when I couldn’t book a gig for several months, especially when I had just started. But the way I overcame it was by owning my craft. I think that’s one thing you have to learn how to do as a creative or as an actor when you’re not working, keep working at making yourself better.

Also, my family motivates me a lot. My family and friends. I don’t think I would be where I am without their support. Their constant push and reminders that this is what I’m good at, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

Pelumi Bolawa: What are your takes on the prevalent conversations about godfatherism or caucus in the movie industry?

Halimah Ganiyu: Honestly, I don’t think there’s an issue with godfatherism or having a caucus in the industry. I think it’s very important to have your own tribe or community, people you can grow with, collaborate with, and help each other grow.

Having people of like mind you can do projects with and grow together is actually really important. It helps you grow faster. As for godfatherism, I think these people act as mentors to others, and there’s nothing wrong with having a mentor.

I don’t have a godfather or godmother in the industry per se, but I have senior colleagues I look up to and go to for advice.

As for having a caucus, I have a community of people I went to film school with, and we’ve collaborated on several projects.

Pelumi Bolawa: What was the moment like when you won the AMVCA for ‘Irora Iya’? How did it feel to receive such prestigious recognition?

Halimah Ganiyu: It was really great that ‘Irora Iya’ won an award. That project is very dear to my heart because it was one of the first big projects I’ve been in where I played the lead. It gave me a great amount of recognition as an actor, so it’s a project that’s very dear to my heart.

Winning an award for it was really great. The fact that people could see the efforts that everyone put into making that story — the cast, the crew, the producers, the directors, and the actors — all the work, sweat, and blood that went into it, and the fact that it got recognition and people appreciated it, was really exciting.

Pelumi Bolawa: You received not one, but two BON award nominations! What was your reaction to being nominated for ‘Most Promising Actress’ and ‘Best Kiss in a Movie’?

Halimah Ganiyu: Those nominations were my first personal nominations, so that was really exciting. As for the ‘Best Kiss award’, we did win that, and when I saw the category, it felt a bit weird, but yeah, we went home with the award.

Pelumi Bolawa: Your role in ‘Eti Keta’ shed light on the important issue of intertribal relations in Nigeria. How did working on this project impact your perspective on this issue?

Halimah Ganiyu: When I first got the script for ‘Eti Keta’ and read it, I knew I wanted to be part of that project. I loved that it touched on inter-tribal relations in Nigeria because this is something that’s still happening. There’s so much tribalism in Nigeria, and I can’t believe that in 2025, it’s still something we have to discuss.

Every market day on X, there’s always something about how one tribe is this or another tribe is that. I think we keep forgetting that we’re human beings, and human beings will always act like human beings regardless of tribe, race, or religion.

It’s just human behaviour, and we need to learn to stop being biased and stereotyping tribes. I absolutely loved that ‘Eti Keta’ touched on that. It also talked about inter-tribal love, marriage, and relations, and how it’s perceived or received by others.

Pelumi Bolawa: Your films ‘Inu Jin’ and ‘Obi Di Omimi’ are currently streaming on Africa Magic Yoruba. Can you dive deeper into the stories behind these projects and what inspired them?

Halimah Ganiyu: ‘Inu Jin’ and ‘Obi Di Omimi’ are currently streaming on African Magic and Showmax. ‘Inu Jin’ is like part two of ‘Irora Iya’ and ‘Obi Di Omimi’ is a story that connects the two films. It’s like the Igbo version of ‘Inu Jin’. So, the series share the same story but are set in different parts of Nigeria to show that similar things are happening all over the country.

My character, Morayo, connects the two stories, and I think the character Biliki also connects them because we find out that Morayo goes to Enugu, and Biliki also moves to Enugu after what happened in ‘Irora Iya’.

Pelumi Bolawa: What are your goals and aspirations for your career this year? Are there any exciting projects or collaborations on the horizon?

Halimah Ganiyu: 2025 is an exciting year for me because every year I grow more in my career, and I know this year will bring even more growth—much more tremendous than previous years.

2025 is a year of growth, success, and abundance for me. It’s a year of working on more projects, bigger projects, collaborating with more people, working with some of my dream directors and producers, and working on bigger streaming platforms like Netflix, Showmax Originals, and Amazon Prime.

2025 is also about working on my own projects and doing personal stuff to grow my career and my business.