Femi Adebayo's new movie, Seven Doors, has been greeted with many accolades from far and wide.

Aside from the storyline, the lawyer-turned-actor was praised for his casting as every actor cast for each character delivered beyond the expectations of the movie enthusiasts

The accolades started flowing from the premiere of the film those who attended came back singing praises of the producer for changing the narrative of epic movies.

One of the lead characters in Seven Doors who beat many people's expectations was actress Chioma Akpotha. The Nollywood actress has never been seen taking up a role in a Yoruba movie before and secondly, she has never taken up a role like this in the number of years she has been practising as a role interpreter.

Legit.ng exclusively spoke with the movie producer, Femi Adebayo, about casting a totally 'new face' in his genre movie and how he got him to deliver to the admiration of many.

So what prompted you to pick that role, knowing she’s not even Yoruba? The culture is strange to her.

Why Chioma Akpotha as lead actress in Seven Doors?

"For me, casting my movies is more divine. I get that feeling while writing the script for all my movies. I work with a team; I don't cast alone. But the divine message just came that it must be Chioma.

After reaching out to her, Chioma said she was not available. I got the message again, "Don't film," and I didn't. I insisted that it must be Chioma or no one else because she was divinely chosen for the role.

When Chioma notified Femi of her unavailability, he said he went harder with his negotiation to persuade her.

When she told me she wasn't around, I was on her neck, begging her to let us negotiate. She wasn't really ready to talk. I said, "When will you be available? I'll move this project to another time," and I did. So casting for me is divine. That's where I started to get God's blessings on all my projects.

I have some more major Igbo actresses that we are fighting presently because they felt I was closer to them. Why choose Chioma for my film?"

Legit.ng also spoke with Chioma Akpotha about her reason for picking up the role knowing that it's a Yoruba film. She also explained her unavailability and Femi's insisting that it must be her or no one else.

She said: "I wasn't available when Femi sent me the script, and I think I got it wrong about when he wanted to film. So when he said no, it was during this period, and then I told him I was unavailable. I even told him other people could play the role since I was unavailable. He said he would wait until I came back. I think the universe just worked it out. Even down to the premiere, I wasn't meant to be available, but the universe played everything."

After much persuasion and shifting of dates, Chioma succumbed to pressure, but the hook she claimed was the script.

She said: "Seven Doors is a beautiful story. I love stories that tell lessons. So if someone can just say it was that thing that you did that made me do this, I'm so fulfilled as an actor. It’s not just, oh, you did well and all of that. When I saw Femi do that, I knew I had to pray. That's the testimony I longed to get as an actor in any project I'm on. And so when I read the script, it was sweet. I connected immediately, and I was good to go, and then God made it possible for me to be available at the time of filming.

It is a known fact that Chioma is of Igbo origin, and speaking Yoruba would be difficult for her. She shares her experience on set trying to perfect her Yoruba for the few times she spoke it in the movie as Amaka.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Femi Adebayo (@femiadebayosalami)