Jimmy Akingbola on Bel-Air, Will Smith, James Bond & Becoming a Global Nigerian Icon | One54

Jimmy Akingbola has built a career that spans British theatre, Hollywood television, and global film — but the journey wasn’t easy. In this One54 Africa conversation, the Bel-Air star opens up about breaking into the U.S. industry, navigating identity, and why so many UK actors — from Daniel Kaluuya, Idris Elba, John Boyega, David Oyelowo, Damson Idris, to Cynthia Erivo — are reshaping Hollywood. Jimmy also speaks on the moment his peers urged him to take bigger swings, what it felt like to finally reconnect with family in Nigeria, and why his community believed he had the presence to one day step into iconic roles — even James Bond. Jimmy opens up about losing his father, healing generational wounds, and the emotional reconnection with his mother that reshaped his identity as a man and as an artist. This episode dives into culture, legacy, identity, grief, success, and the powerful journey of finding where you truly belong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.