Actor Tokunbo Malvins has opened up about the hardship he faced at the start of his acting career, revealing that he slept on a burial ground for six years while learning the ropes in travelling theatre.
Tokunbo shared the experience during an interview on Oyinmomo TV, where he spoke about leaving home in 1991 to pursue acting. According to him, he joined a travelling theatre group that performed at ceremonies and events but earned little despite their efforts.
He described the difficult living conditions he endured at the time.
“I slept on the burial ground for six (years). It was the house where I was living when I was learning about travelling theatre. The burial ground was directly behind the burial ground of the landlord named Alhaji Toriola,” he said.
“The room was small. I only kept my luggage in the room. I stole a woven cloth at a movie location. It was the cloth I would spread on the burial ground to sleep on. Any time the door was locked, it meant I would be sleeping in the burial ground. That was how I slept for six years.”
He said his situation later improved slightly when he moved to sleeping in a passage, though it came with its own problems.
“From there, I graduated to the passage. There was a woman who always warned us not to sleep in the passage. Anytime we refused to listen to her, she would intentionally pour urine on us.”
Malvins said his turning point came after meeting Gbenga Adewusi, chief executive of Bayowa Films, who gave him his first television compere role at LTV 8. The opportunity brought him into public attention and marked the beginning of his recognition in the Yoruba film industry.
He is now known for his comic roles in Yoruba language films and television productions.
