In The Long Run
Season 2 SABC3 (*193) 18:30 Comedy
Jimmy Akingbola says that he’s been typecast in Britain due to his Nigerian heritage – which didn’t hurt in biographical comedy series In The Long Run where he plays Valentine – but he is ready to break out. “I’ve had a good run playing bad guys and my new role is more mysterious than baddie,” says the 44-year-old. He’s playing ex-Special Forces agent-turned-fixer Geoffrey Thompson in Bel-Air, the reboot of ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. “I’ve given him this sense of danger, like he could kill you with one finger, but he’s also kind and caring,” says the actor.
His full name is James Olatokunbo Akingbola and his parents moved to the UK in the early ’70s. “I love going ‘home’ – I’ve never lived in Nigeria but it’s my home. I feel at peace when I’m there,” says Jimmy. The actor loves music and developed a love for rock ’n roll icon Elvis Presley (hit song Can’t Help Falling In Love, 1961) after portraying him in a 2004 stage play called Behzti.
Jimmy admits that the best part of his role in Bel-Air is that he gets to use his normal accent. “They could’ve easily made Geoffrey an elite Marine or something. But the British accent gives him more of a spy feel, like James Bond,” says the actor. Speaking of the movie spy, Jimmy wants to see his friend and Long Run co-star Idris Elba take the role. “Idris has everything to play Bond. If they’re not begging him to play Bond, they should be!” he says. Besides acting, Jimmy loves doing voiceover and works for BBC Radio doing book readings.