Fella Makafui is taking the “no pain, no gain” mantra to a global level!
The 30-year-old Ghanaian star is officially joining the Netflix universe in the highly anticipated second season of the Nigerian masterpiece, Anikulapo: The Ghoul Awakens. While landing a role with legendary director Kunle Afolayan is a dream come true, Fella revealed that the gig came with a major catch: she had to learn Yoruba from absolute scratch.
“My heart skipped for a second because I have never even said ‘the’ in Yoruba before,” Fella admitted about the moment the director told her she’d be speaking the language fluently as her character, Abena.
The journey began with a call from Juliet Asante, CEO of Ghana’s National Film Authority, who has been championing the “Shoot in Ghana” initiative. Asante told her, “I’m pushing for Ghana to be part of ANIKULAPO, and I believe you can absolutely kill this role.”
Fella, who has been a fan of Afolayan’s work for years, even joked about a DM she sent him years ago that went ignored. “I honestly thought I was dreaming,” she said.
To nail the role, Fella went into full immersion mode. She worked with a language coach, waking up at dawn to listen to voice notes and practicing her lines “literally everywhere” she went.
“I almost gave up because wow… the language was HARD,” she confessed, adding that it was the most challenging role of her career but “exactly the kind of challenge” she wanted.
Despite the initial nerves, Fella says the cast and crew made her feel “completely at home” on set. Now, she’s ready for the world to see the result of her hard work.
Anikulapo: The Ghoul Awakens is streaming NOW exclusively on Netflix!
Check out the photos from her time on set in the gallery below!
Photo credit: @fellamakafui / Netflix
Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, which premiered on Netflix on 30 January 2026. The new season deepens its dive into Yoruba mythology while raising the stakes. With new cast members such as Kiekie, Antar Laniyan, Saidi Balogun, Teniola Aladese, Fella Makafui, and Okusaga Adeoluwa joining returning stars Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Sola Sobowale, and Taiwo Hassan, the story expands in scale and ambition.
WATCH ON NETFLIX HERE.
