Mosun Filani explains her return to acting after prioritising her family and raising her children, while addressing claims about her marriage
Nollywood actress Mosunmola Filani has explained her return to acting during a September 2026 interview with BBC Yoruba, revealing that she deliberately stepped away from the film industry to focus on raising her children and is now ready to resume her career.
Filani said her decision was driven by the demands of motherhood and her desire to remain closely involved in her children’s upbringing during their formative years.
“I stopped acting to focus on my family. My kids are grown; they know left from right, and it’s time for me to get back to acting,” she said.
The actress has previously spoken about the decision, describing her absence from Nollywood as a deliberate break rather than an abandonment of her career.
In a 2023 interview, Filani said marriage and motherhood required sacrifices and that she believed the film industry would still be there when she was ready to return.
Her comments in 2026 show that the calculation has now changed.
With her children older and more independent, Filani believes she can devote more time to acting without taking away from the family responsibilities that previously shaped her priorities.
The actress began her professional acting career in 2005 after developing an interest in theatre while studying at the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta.
She later studied Business Administration at Tai Solarin University of Education.
Filani became particularly recognised for her work in Yoruba-language Nollywood productions, appearing in films including Jenifa, Iku Ewa, Eri-Ife, Aje Metta and Different Strokes.
Her return has not been limited to acting alone. In 2023, Filani produced and starred in Different Strokes, an English-language film featuring actors including Mercy Johnson-Okojie, Lilian Esoro and Jim Iyke.
The actress also used the BBC Yoruba interview to address longstanding speculation about her marriage, firmly rejecting the description of herself as a second wife.
Filani acknowledged that her husband may have been married previously but explained that she did not meet another wife living in his home when she entered the marriage.
“I’m not a second wife; my husband might’ve had a marriage before, but I didn’t meet anyone in his house,” she said.
The clarification adds another personal dimension to an interview largely centred on Filani’s career and family choices.
Rather than presenting her time away from Nollywood as a setback, her explanation frames it as a conscious period of prioritising responsibilities outside the industry.
Filani has previously described motherhood as a significant commitment, noting that filming can involve long periods away from home and that raising children requires sacrifices.
Her decision to return therefore represents a fresh chapter in a career that has already included acting, producing and work across both Yoruba and English-language productions.
For Filani, the message is straightforward: the break served its purpose, her children are older, and she is now ready to reconnect with the profession that first established her name in Nollywood.
