Meet Jumoké

We were lucky to catch up with Jumoké recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jumoké, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

My optimism comes from the unknown. Which is odd, because my younger self hated change. Forced to move houses every year or even less, all I’ve ever wanted is a stable place mentally and physically. I’ve only ever desired peace. In my later years of life I’ve come to realise that the resistance of change is what is sabotaging my chances at reaching the peace I so desperately wanted. When you truly understand yourself, what success is to you – is closely intertwined with what you consider to be peace. My peace is being allowed the freedom to create whatever is inside my head, expand on territory I otherwise wouldn’t expect myself to conquer. When you are creating, you are also floating; drifting wherever your mind and body takes you. Oftentimes, where you’re taken to – is to the unknown. The very same unknown we’re so afraid of approaching. It’s ironic, but that’s what I consider to be peace. The unknown can be the people you meet, the places you’re meant to be at, the things you’re meant to see. The unknown became my strength. There is no opportunity that I’d let pass me by, not easily at least. I still get scared, I still get anxious, but I also know I don’t want to do anything else but act, write and create. I’m where I belong, so something has to stick. I don’t need it to stick, I simply know it will.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Jumoké – a British-born Nigerian actress, content creator, and storyteller. My work spans across stage, screen, and digital platforms, where I use performance and persona to explore identity, resilience, and joy. Whether I’m embodying a fierce vampire in a short film, a troubled prophetess in a feature, or stepping into the shoes of a magical guardian in a recent voice project, I’m always drawn to characters who carry deep emotional weight – people who survive, evolve, and surprise you.

What excites me most about what I do is the ability to shapeshift – not just in the sense of character transformation, but in how I merge cultures, genres, and tones. I grew up between Nigerian traditions and British realities, and I carry both with me into every project. There’s something powerful about reclaiming space as a Black woman in fantasy, horror, and drama – genres that have often overlooked us. I love infusing roles with the kind of depth and charisma that reflects the women who raised me: bold, soulful, and unafraid to be complex.

I’m currently training at Identity School of Acting, which has been instrumental in refining my craft and helping me access greater emotional truth in performance.

Alongside acting, I create content online through my platform ttnerdette, where cosplay, beauty, and storytelling collide. I see this space as a playground and a portfolio – a way to celebrate Black creativity, nerd culture, and character-driven expression in a fun and authentic way.

Right now, I’m a company member at the Orange Tree Theatre and just wrapped filming on Entity, where I played the lead role of Cassandra – a layered, emotionally charged part that allowed me to push both my craft and my imagination. I’m currently focused on building my screen and voice work, and on collaborating with other Black creatives who want to tell genre-defying, character-rich stories. I’m excited to keep evolving and to keep surprising people – including myself.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I’d say the three most impactful qualities in my journey have been resilience, a free-spirited nature, and optimism.

Resilience has carried me through the toughest parts of my path – from navigating predominantly white institutions that didn’t always see me, to pushing forward in an industry that can be full of rejection and unpredictability. I’ve learned that resilience isn’t just about being tough – it’s about being soft and standing firm, holding on to your truth even when everything around you is trying to reshape it.

My free-spirited nature is something I’ve come to treasure. It allows me to play, to imagine without limits, and to approach each role and opportunity with openness. I think there’s magic in curiosity – in allowing yourself to explore, be weird, be bold, and not take yourself too seriously. That kind of spirit keeps you creatively alive.

And then there’s optimism – the ability to believe in possibility even when things look uncertain. It’s what kept me going when I didn’t know where the next opportunity would come from. It’s a quiet kind of hope, and it fuels everything I do.

For anyone early in their journey: protect your joy. Strengthen your resilience not by hardening, but by rooting yourself in your values. Stay curious, stay weird, and let your light be loud – even when the world tries to dim it. Your path may not look traditional, and that’s often where the magic lies.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I believe in being well-rounded. While it’s important to know and lean into your strengths, I’ve found that true growth happens when you’re also willing to face your weak spots – not with shame, but with curiosity and care.

For example, I’ve always been a naturally expressive person – a storyteller at heart. Performance, character work, imagination – those things come easily to me. But when I first stepped into more technical acting spaces, or needed to handle administrative parts of my creative career (emails, contracts, networking), I used to feel intimidated. It would’ve been easy to say, “Well, that’s not my strength,” and just stick to the fun stuff. But I quickly learned that versatility is power.

Training at Identity School of Acting has helped me deepen emotional range and discipline, while working at theatres like Orange Tree or voicing characters in projects has reminded me that being adaptable makes you more collaborative and trustworthy in professional settings.

In content creation too – I started out just making fun, free-spirited videos, but over time, I’ve taken the time to learn lighting, editing, writing, and even analytics. It’s made me feel more in control of my art.

So for me, it’s not about trying to be perfect at everything, but being willing to stretch beyond what feels natural. Because the more you expand, the more doors you can walk through. And when those moments come where your strength does shine – it hits even harder, because you’ve built the foundation to hold it all together.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ttnerdette/
• Other: https://www.backstage.com/tal/jumoke-s/

Image Credits

Julia Barrell

Ecs Saunders