TikTok star Theo Shakes, while receiving his TikTok Entertainment Creator of the Year Award in 2025, made a direct call to casting directors and producers to look online for the next generation of acting talent. According to him, content creators are ready to take on proper film roles as actors. Theo is from New Zealand and is likely speaking to his local industry, but his comment feels especially relevant in Nigeria, where social media creators are increasingly appearing in Nollywood films. The question is no longer if this is happening, but whether it should.
In Nigeria, content creators have become cultural fixtures. From skit makers on Instagram to TikTok comedians who rack up millions of views, the recognisable faces have loyal audiences, and Nollywood filmmakers look to tap into those audiences and visibility. Box office numbers have become a major goal for most Nigerian filmmakers now, and tapping into the popularity of content creators boosts those numbers. Sometimes the content creators are used for promotional purposes, other times they are included in the films, both for the same goal.
But is acting and content creation the same thing? Can a content creator act?
Most Nigerian content creators build their audience by playing versions of themselves. When a niche is carved, you know what to expect when you click the video. You could say content creators are static. Layi Wasabi, Taooma, and a few others who have multiple personas, when you click on a video, you have an idea of what to expect. But film acting often demands the opposite. It requires an actor to disappear into different roles of different films for ninety minutes, not ninety seconds of shorts.
Still, the boundary is no longer clean. Creators like Baron Ryan are leaping into feature films, producing a film of their own film, instead of being featured in a film. Does this suggest that the content creation skills developed online can translate into filmmaking when given structure and resources? Some creators adapt impressively when given the chance. They surprise us when given roles like Akinyoola Ayoola, better known as Kamo State, who has embodied many roles, including the billion-naira-selling A Tribe Called Judah. (There are many others like him.) Others struggle, of course. They deliver performances that feel like long skits awkwardly dropped into a film. When audiences complain about this, that a content creator shouldn’t have been included, it’s often considered gatekeeping, but the criticism comes from a place of asking if popularity is being mistaken for preparation.
This isn’t totally new. Music stars become movie stars. Some argue that musicians are also actors because they act in their music videos. And some musicians are genuinely good actors. But their success never meant that every musician was suddenly an actor. It only means that performance skills can travel. The same logic should apply to content creators. That you’re a content creator doesn’t mean you’re a good actor. Actors travel into the realms of their characters for hours and days.
What complicates things is that for many Nigerians, content creation is now considered the first stage. A phone camera is cheaper than drama school. Social media is more accessible than auditions. For some creators, this is where they first realise they can act at all. All these are true. But that doesn’t mean you’re good enough to become an actor.
I can say that the issue isn’t whether content creators can act. It’s how the industry chooses to use them. Are they being cast because they fit the role, or because they bring numbers? Are they being developed, coached and challenged or simply dropped into roles?
So, should content creators be considered for acting roles? I think yes. But consideration should not mean automatic inclusion. They should audition as well. They should be properly taught. Nollywood has always evolved by absorbing new talent from unexpected places. Social media could just be the latest source. But acting should not be about how many followers you have, but about whether you can carry a story. The camera may be familiar, but the work still has to show.
What do you think?
