Rooted in Nigeria, Raised on Stage: The Rise of Nigerian-British Actor, Ayo Solanke

And his filmography reads like an actor deliberately swerving past the typecasting conveyor belt. From indie horror bloodbaths to militarized shootouts and a moody short film with a philosophical backbone, Ayo Solanke’s upcoming movies and recent releases prove he’s not here to be cute on camera—he’s here to test his ceiling. This chapter dissects three key projects that show exactly how far that ceiling might go. If Netflix’s Bet sounds like a fever dream filtered through a poker table and a manga panel, that’s because it pretty much is.

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She is an actress, entertainer, performer, and artist, who is best known for her role as Morgan in the television series A Million Little Things. Fans will recognise Eva from psychological thriller, The Bad Orphan, in which she played Rhiannon. Read on for the full cast list, including where you’ve seen the stars before – from Star Trek to Workin’ Moms.

Bet (TV series)

• Ryan Sutherland is an actor known for playing Suki in Bet.
• The characters in manga stories are designed to be over-the-top and at times are more known for their quirkiness than any kind of depth of character.
• His performance doesn’t just anchor a slippery narrative—it elevates it.
• In a school where everyone is high-gloss insanity, he walks like he’s just trying to get to math class without being decapitated.
• He occasionally posts character notes, often shares observations about scripts he’s reading, and rarely misses the chance to poke fun at his own industry.
• Let’s start with the absurdly titled Clown in a Cornfield.

Musk incited racist comments about Edebiri, which the actress caught wind of and wrote about in her Story post. Elon Musk stirred up an intense social media reaction towards Ayo Edebiri, which nearly endangered the actress. Solanke, 22, is a Nigerian-born British musician and actor. He plays Ryan in the live-action adaptation. The streaming platform’s recommendation algorithm must have played a large part in driving organic viewership to the series, indicating a fairly strong connection with teens and young adults. Bet might be developing into something more compelling than a simple live adaptation.

Comic book adaptations into live-action television are always tricky, but manga adaptations — especially ones done outside of South Asia — are even trickier. The characters in manga stories are designed to be over-the-top and at times are more known for their quirkiness than any kind of depth of character. How to translate that into a live-action series that doesn’t feel cartoonish is tough.

This would allow it to stand on its own for new viewers as well as longtime Kakegurui fans. Immensely promoted for their quantizing visuals and slick cinematography, Bet was conceptualized by Simon Barry-the same mind who also gave us Warrior Nun. Dramatic lighting and insane close-ups all throughout gambling scenes yield an atmosphere of heightened tension and suspense as the psychological stakes are being asserted. Bet is based on the acclaimed manga Kakegurui, created by Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura. Since its initial serialization in 2014, Kakegurui immediately became quite popular because of its unique juxtaposition of psychology-thriller-gambling themes. If you were searching for the owner of Bet9ja, we hope that your question has been answered by reading this post.

Yumeko immediately challenges Mary to a match; the game chosen is “Skirmish,” where each player plays one of their seven cards, and the high card in that round wins. Yumeko notices that Mary is cheating, and only wants to play fair. But, as we see in flashbacks to her childhood in Japan, winning money isn’t the only reason why she’s at St. Dominic’s; she wants revenge. Ayo Solanke stops by to chat about his breakout role as Ryan in the hit Netflix series BET. Ayo shares how his life has changed since the show hit the global Top 10, what it was like stepping into a complex character, and how fans have connected with Ryan’s emotional journey. Ten episodes seems like a lot, arguably too many, but they’re all under 40 minutes and breeze by with so much going on, especially since the outcome of the games keeps upending the social dynamics and raising the stakes.

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Bet’ On Netflix, Where A Teen Goes To A Boarding School Where Gambling Is A Way Of Life

He’s not dabbling—he’s building something that could easily stand on its own. Netflix’s new hit series BET, a live-action adaptation inspired by the manga Kakegurui, has taken audiences by storm — and one of the standout characters is Ryan, portrayed by rising star Ayo Solanke. I recently caught up with Ayo for Pop Culture Unplugged, where we talked about the show’s global success, stepping into a beloved fandom, and why Ryan’s evolution is resonating with viewers around the world.

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There’s rumored involvement in a surrealist British drama, a miniseries based on a dystopian short story collection, and a recurring character in a genre-defying Canadian series currently under wraps. He’s not jumping between roles—he’s maneuvering ayobet.id them. And that’s a very different kind of career strategy. His breakout role came as Ryan Adebayo in Netflix’s Bet, a high-stakes teen drama where Solanke not only survives but steals scenes. Critics call him a “scene-stealer…a break‑out genius” aestetica.net. Ryan isn’t the alpha or the anti‑hero, he’s the student caught in a rigged game, and Solanke brings him dignity and quiet resistance, giving emotional depth to a chaotic narrative aestetica.net.

And yet, Solanke gives him spine, nuance, and just enough moral discomfort to keep things interesting. Ayo says he’s heard from viewers who felt Ryan brought a more emotional and meaningful presence to the world of BET than they had seen in the source material. Laura Afelskie is a Canadian actress who plays Runa in the live-action manga adaptation. No, what annoys us about Bet is that it’s so busy being stylish that it forgets about the fact that there is a story that needs to be told.

The 10 part thriller stars Miku Martineau, Ayo Solanke, and Eve Edwards. Analytics Insight is an award-winning tech news publication that delivers in-depth insights into the major technology trends that impact the markets. The content produced on this website is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation. Always conduct your own research or check with certified experts before investing, and be prepared for potential losses. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Analytics Insight, or any of its affiliates, officers or directors.

Plenty of actors turn to directing for control. The film isn’t autobiographical, but it’s clearly personal—especially in how it toys with themes of isolation, duality, and the cyclical nature of choice. As a director and writer, he isn’t flexing genre tricks.

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For those not in the know, Kakegurui (賭ケグルイ, Kakegurui –Compulsive Gambler–) is a Japanese manga series that began its run in Square Enix’s Gangan Joker magazine in March 2014. It was later adapted in 2017 by the legendary studio MAPPA with a follow-up series arriving two years later. Both those seasons are streaming exclusively on Netflix as of right now. This actually marks the second time the material has been adapted into a live-action series, with a Japanese series (also streaming on Netflix) released in 2019, starring Minami Hamabe, Mahiro Takasugi, and Aoi Morikawa. There are actors who say they’re “into music” and mean they have a Spotify playlist with a dramatic title. Has performed live, unrehearsed, and off-book.

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• And if you enjoyed it, consider sharing this post with your friends on social media with the share buttons below.
• However, the current CEO of Bet9ja betting company is Mr. Ayao Ojuroye and he’s different from the owner who is Kunle.
• The film isn’t autobiographical, but it’s clearly personal—especially in how it toys with themes of isolation, duality, and the cyclical nature of choice.
• Provided Netflix pays heed to the criticisms and stays true to the core concepts of the original manga while treating issues with care, all-out respect, and adaptation appropriateness.
• There’s rumored involvement in a surrealist British drama, a miniseries based on a dystopian short story collection, and a recurring character in a genre-defying Canadian series currently under wraps.
• He’s not the swaggering alpha or the tormented antihero.
• Having said all this the character drama is still very much present.

The switch from stage to screen didn’t feel like an upgrade—it felt like being thrown into a new sport with different rules. Subtlety wasn’t a footnote—it was the whole page. There’s a danger in treating manga tropes with reverence—they become parodies without punch. Solanke sidesteps that trap by playing Ryan with dissonance.

Hunter Cardinal as Michael

This is because most of Bet’s high-school social dynamics are filtered through the extremely exaggerated lens of high-stakes gambling games and anime-esque stylistic flourishes. Logically, this means that several students are in considerable debt and forced to become “house pets” – in other words, slaves to the wealthier students. Let’s start with the absurdly titled Clown in a Cornfield. It sounds like a joke, but it’s not. Solanke’s performance in Clown in a Cornfield isn’t about reinventing the slasher wheel—it’s about knowing exactly when to subvert and when to commit.

Losing the game but winning the screen

The reception of the show has shown that when it comes to adaptations, the balance between creative reinterpretation and respecting the culture of the original material becomes very important. Set in St. Dominic’s Boarding School for Girls, where gambling dictates the social hierarchy. Yumeko Kawamoto, portrayed by Miku Martineau, is a transfer student who shakes up the established order as she takes on the student council in high-stakes gambles. Netflix’s newest teen drama, Bet, has entered the Top 10 charts in 32 countries in just one week.

And, hopefully, more scenes where Ryan doesn’t just react but reshapes the game. At 13, the Solankes moved again—this time to Canada, the land of maple syrup, healthcare, and the kind of arts programs that actually fund school theatre productions. It was here that Ayo Solanke’s transition from theatre to screen acting began, and not in the way most expect. There’s no mysticism in Solanke’s Lagos Nigeria chapter—just ordinary life. His earliest years, as he’s mentioned in interviews, were filled with extended family, unpredictable power cuts, and the occasional bootleg DVD of a Nollywood horror movie that left a permanent mark on his imagination.

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When the roles aren’t giving you what you want, you make your own. Enter The Island—a short film that isn’t looking for mainstream applause, but one that makes its own weather in the indie space. On camera, his scenes with co-star Yumeko tested his emotional depth. From dance‑floor ensembles to tense confrontations, Ayo found the heart of Ryan in personal stakes. “That moment where I pin Michael… Ryan is locked in. He’s ride or die for Yumiko” popcultureunplugged.com+2popcultureunplugged.com+2popcultureunplugged.podbean.com+2.

• Yumeko becomes friends with Ryan (Ayo Solanke), who becomes a housepet after losing a round of cards to a council member named Mary (Eve Edwards).
• These are all likeable and engaging characters who create an interesting ensemble thanks to their varied personalities, circumstances, and motivations.
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• Sutherland previously starred in Four Singles, a film about four men coping with loneliness, loss of love and social isolation.
• Solanke sidesteps that trap by playing Ryan with dissonance.
• Set in St. Dominic’s Boarding School for Girls, where gambling dictates the social hierarchy.
• Ayo Solanke’s horror movie roles are rarely written to win awards, but he uses that freedom to inject a kind of specificity that’s usually lost in scream-heavy screen time.

There’s a temptation to romanticize this phase as formative, but Solanke resists the narrative. His acting wasn’t “inspired” by his roots so much as complicated by them. Nigeria wasn’t a springboard—it was a baseline. Ayo Solanke is carving a spot in film and TV by refusing to blend in.

Everything evolves fairly naturally, and by the time the finale rolls around, you’re more invested in the interpersonal relationships than the gimmicks, which feels just about right. The premise revolves around Yumeko Jabami (Miku Martineau, Kate), an enigmatic transfer student who arrives at St. Dominic’s Prep with a mind to take down its dominant and corrupt Student Council as revenge for her parents’ murder. St. Dominic’s is one of those weird made-for-TV schools where nobody seems to do any work, there are no teachers in sight, and the whole place is divided into themed cliques with eccentric gimmicks. The costuming and social structure are a little reminiscent of Elite, but that’s as far as the comparison goes. In Canada, Ayo Solanke’s education took a sharper turn. He enrolled in youth acting intensives—not the kind where everyone hugs it out, but the kind where you’re told your cold-read was “technically fine” and “emotionally vacant.” It was brutal.

Anticipated Return: Bet Season 2

Now pivot to Tales from the Hood 3, which lands somewhere between anthology experimentation and straight-up genre pastiche. Solanke leans into the unsettling tone here, not with overacting but with a kind of quiet dread. Ayo Solanke’s horror movie roles are rarely written to win awards, but he uses that freedom to inject a kind of specificity that’s usually lost in scream-heavy screen time. It’s not the gore that makes them effective—it’s his unwillingness to act like he’s in a horror movie at all.

• Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Analytics Insight, or any of its affiliates, officers or directors.
• That instinct now shows up everywhere from his sax solos to his slow-burn monologues on screen.
• Bet is representative of Netflix’s attempt to bring adaptations of manga to a global audience.
• The premise revolves around Yumeko Jabami (Miku Martineau, Kate), an enigmatic transfer student who arrives at St. Dominic’s Prep with a mind to take down its dominant and corrupt Student Council as revenge for her parents’ murder.
• A good example is Bet, an adaptation of a manga about a high schooler who is a compulsive gambler going to a prep school full of people wagering their parents’ money.
• Each character conveys depth in the storyline, reflecting complex social structures in the school.
• Bet is based on the acclaimed manga Kakegurui, created by Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura.

A good example is Bet, an adaptation of a manga about a high schooler who is a compulsive gambler going to a prep school full of people wagering their parents’ money. After staking his claim as one of the few fresh faces to make a teen drama feel dangerous again, he’s shifting gears. What’s next isn’t just a continuation—it’s escalation.

The show offers a live-action look at the Japanese manga Kakegurui, which exposes a world of high-stakes gambling and power dynamics. Let’s have a look at what this live adaptation brings to the table and how well it has adapted elements from the original manga. Gambling is a way of life at St. Dominic’s, and the Student Council are the top winners at the school, led by council president Kira (Clara Alexandrova). They make the rules of the games played.

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The indie studio has a reputation for picking actors who don’t need to shout to be heard. And Ayo Solanke’s role in A24’s Altar seems positioned to pivot him from emerging talent to serious contender—without the usual award-season desperation. Unlike the curated grids of celebrities holding lattes or fake-laughing with influencers, Ayo Solanke’s Instagram feels like it was built by a human with taste and a sense of humor. Scroll far enough and you’ll find saxophone clips recorded in grainy rehearsal rooms, obscure film recommendations, and behind-the-scenes shots that aren’t drenched in filters. He posts like someone who doesn’t need validation, which—ironically—makes him more worth following.

Ryan begins the series as a believer in the school’s ruthless hierarchy, but that loyalty fades fast — especially when he finds himself aligning with Yumiko. While Ryan is inspired by Ryota Suzui from the Kakegurui manga, Ayo made a conscious effort to build a version of the character that stood on its own. Interestingly, Ayo didn’t even know what he was auditioning for at first. Like many of his castmates, his audition script used a placeholder name — “Harry” instead of Ryan — to conceal the true identity of the project.

The Canada chapter didn’t launch Solanke. There’s no mythology to mine here—just a kid who moved countries, swapped accents, absorbed cultures, and didn’t flinch. There’s something quietly radical about that. Just sharp, self-aware evolution—scene by scene.

From an upcoming role in an A24 psychological thriller to the high-stakes return of Bet, Ayo Solanke’s future projects don’t follow a straight trajectory. They zigzag between prestige and pop, art-house and streaming spectacle. This chapter looks ahead, not with PR spin, but with a critical eye on what these choices say about where he’s headed—and who he refuses to become.

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Born in Nigeria and raised in East London, the 22-year-old British-Nigerian actor now carries the weight of two cultures with ease and uses them as strengths m.youtube.com+9youtube.com+9aestetica.net+9. At USTA Advocates, we are proud to combine experience, expertise, and resources to achieve exceptional results for our clients. With a proven track record as a trusted advisor, we have played a pivotal role in groundbreaking transactions and resolved complex legal questions, shaping Uganda’s legal landscape.

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That instinct now shows up everywhere from his sax solos to his slow-burn monologues on screen. Bold & Beautiful shows beauty, intelligence, lifestyles, successes, achievements, and remarkable feats that characterize Nigerians and Africans. Ayo hasn’t parked his ambition at acting. He’s developing a short film, Island, and aiming to direct and write his own stories.