I wanted to be a soldier, not an actor

During his appearance on Behind The Fame podacast, Nollywood icon Antar Laniyan outlined the three sides of his personality and disclosed that acting was never part of his initial career plans.

Laniyan said he exists in three versions. “One Antar is a disciplinarian, iron-fisted, as it should be on the job,” he stated.

“Another Antar is everybody’s friend, the one who will wind down his car glass to greet anyone. Then the third is Antar the father at home, as simple as being the third guy in the house.”

He added that people often confuse these different sides. “If you don’t know, you will take one for another,” he said.

Laniyan also revealed that he originally wanted a military career. “Initially, I didn’t want to become an actor. I wanted to be a soldier,” he said. “I lived in an army barracks. I liked their discipline, their orderliness.”

His plans changed in secondary school when he repeatedly represented his school in drama competitions. His principal eventually challenged his ambitions.

“He asked me what I wanted to be. I said I wanted to be a soldier,” Laniyan recalled. “He told me, ‘I see an artist in you. I think you’re an actor.’”

The veteran admitted he dismissed the suggestion at the time but the words stayed with him.
“I didn’t agree with him. But it kept ringing,” he said.