Meet Osama Ogbeide | Actor & Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Osama Ogbeide and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Osama, how do you think about risk?
I think in order to achieve your goals in life, especially in the acting industry, taking a risk on yourself is extremely important. I’ve always had a “if they can do it, then so can I” mentality when it comes to my career as an actor. I took a risk when I decided to change my major from biology to theater back when I was in college. That was when I knew I was going to put in 100% of my time into acting. The decision to change my major was a huge risk for me because I knew that not only would I have to stay in college for a longer period of time, but I also would have to face my Nigerian parents and tell them that I no longer had any interest in becoming a doctor, which was not a conversation I was looking forward too. For me, there is no “plan b”. The only plan I have is to follow my dreams of becoming an actor and even though the industry is super competitive and you’re going to hear more “No’s” than “Yes’s”, it’s what I’ve always loved to do so i’m going all in. I’d rather put in all my energy doing something I love and fail than settling for something I hate just because it’s the easier option.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The journey to get to where I am now in my career has not been easy one bit. I still have so much I want to achieve, this is only the beginning for me. I remember one day I was stuck literally in the middle of the highway because my car had broken down for like the fifth time in the span of two months. Financially, I was down bad, mentality I was exhausted, and emotionally I was feeling a depressed because it seemed like nothing was going my way at all. So when I woke up the next morning and got an alert on Actors Access about a short film and they wanted to cast a Nigerian, it felt like there was a little hope left in the world. Almost as if it was God’s way of saying, “alright lemme give Osama a damn break cause he really has been going through it”. That film, (Comfort), ended up being premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last year. It was definitely my proudest moment in my career thus far because it just reassured me that I am meant to be in this position and that whatever is meant for you will surely come one way or another. Never lose hope even when it feels like all hope is gone was the lesson I learned from that because your time will come.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d definitely take them to Old Fourth Ward skate park by Ponce, I used to go there a lot with my friends back when I was at Georgia State. I would skate all the way down there from my dorm room sometimes at night and just clear my head. It’s one of my favorite spots in the city because i’m an outdoorsy type of person so from there you could walk to Piedmont Park, pick up a bite to eat at Ponce City Market on the way and then just relax especially if the weather is nice, gotta take advantage of all the nice days out here because Atlanta weather is so flip flop sometimes. We would also have to go to Hattie B’s it’s one of my favorite spots, and yes I know it’s chicken fingers and fries but I eat like a kid and I’m not ashamed of it one bit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There have been many people that have paved the way for me to get to the point where I’m at now in my life. I want to given a shoutout to any person who has ever given me an opportunity to perform on screen. Directors like Boma iluma, Cay Lyles, Raihven Minter, they’ve all given me a chance to prove what I’m capable of on set. Also just want to show appreciation to the people who support me constantly like my cousin/brother Seun, who is a rising afro-beat artist based in NY (@o.ewola), and my best friend Terrylin, who is genuinely the best person I have ever met inside and out. There are so many people I can name but I would go on forever. I want to thank Christina Danielle Wilson too for nominating me and allowing me to have the opportunity to speak on this platform.

Website: jobschangeus.com/risingvoices-comfort/

Instagram: @osamatheactor