Actress Funke Akindele has showered praises on her junior colleague Juliana Olayode for her role in Funke’s latest film A Tribe Called Judah.
The actress-turned-filmmaker celebrated Juliana as her woman crush in a video she uploaded via Instagram on Wednesday.
She described Juliana as a fantastic actress whose performance in the film was outstanding.
She wrote: “This week, we’re crushing on the incredibly talented @olayodejuliana.
Her role in ‘A TRIBE CALLED JUDAH’ was outstanding, and we can’t wait for you all to watch it!!! Much love and celebration to you always, @olayodejuliana,” she wrote.
“Omg I’m screaminggggggggg…. I don blow. What do I even say?????? Thank you so much mama, I can’t wait for everyone to see the magic we made #Atribecalledjudah,” an excited Juliana responded in the comment section of the post.
Speaking about the movie role in an Instagram post on October 31, Juliana said she cried on set while filming with her mentor again after Jenifa’s Dairy.
Captioning the post, Juliana thanked Funke for the opportunity to play the character Hilda on A Tribe Called Judah, adding that she was so excited filming with Funke that she carried on the movie set.
She wrote: “We are COMING!!! A Tribe Called Judah is coming to the cinema on the 15th of December mark your calendars.
“Thank you for all the excitement and messages since I posted the video introducing the characters of A Tribe Called Judah yesterday. Posting this reel so y’all can see that I am as excited as you are. I was so excited I cried on set. Thank you so much mama @funkejenifaakindele for the opportunity to play Hilda. You are simply the BEST.”
In 2017, news broke that Juliana, who played the role of Toyosi in Jenifa’s Diary, had been dropped over alleged monetary issues.
That led to her exit from the show and a strained relationship with Funke.
Funke Akindele reacts to Juliana Olayode’s public apology
The 27-year-old, however, said in a lengthy apology post via Instagram in May 2023 that she hurt Funke, whom she said was a miracle God used to bring her to the limelight, due to her little knowledge of how the movie industry works.
She said her guardian sent Funke an unsolicited email which ruined their relationship afterwards.
Juliana, also hinted at the end of her post that she might be back on the sitcom.
