OLLY SHOLOTAN CREATES THE ART HE WANTS TO SEE IN THE WORLD
You might know Olly Sholotan from Peacock’s Bel-Air but he has so much more to offer the world outside of that. From his blooming music career to his love for fashion, Olly doesn’t allow himself to be put in a box and creates the art he wants to see in the world. We got the chance to learn a little more about his Nigerian roots, his plans for the future and everything in between. Keep reading below for the inside scoop on all things Olly Sholotan!
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
What was it like growing up in Houston?
It was really really dope to say the least! Houston is just this large metropolitan area that is super diverse, so I got the chance to meet and experience so many different types of people. Also, if I do say so myself, it has one of the best performing arts high schools in the country; so having the opportunity to go to Kinder HSPVA was definitely life changing and shaped so much of my early artistry.
What do you love the most about your Nigerian culture?
You know what’s funny, there’s this Nigerian saying: “Naija no day carry last” which basically translates to “Nigerians will never be in last place” and I think that saying alone speaks to Nigerian culture in a way nothing else does. We are just a relentless, hardworking people, and that spirit has gotten me so far in life. So I’d have to say that. Also, our food, we have some pretty incredible food.
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What’s your favorite Nigerian meal?
I know everyone says this, but my mom does in fact make the best Jollof rice. Her pounded yam and egusi is also out of this world, so those would have to be my favorites.
Have you ever been to Nigeria? If so, tell us about your most recent experience and if not do you plan on going anytime soon?
I actually grew up there! I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and within the first year of my life, my family moved back to Nigeria and I lived there until I was 10. It was just such an incredible time; I mean it’s definitely a place with a lot of economic hardship, but it’s so rich in culture and love. I haven’t been back in a while though and that really does bum me out; I’m planning on going back soon.
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How did you get into acting and what were you doing before getting the role on Bel-Air?
My love for music and acting kind of developed at the same time! I grew up being absolutely obsessed with Michael Jackson’s work and at the core of all his music videos is story telling. Like he was making full on short films set to music!
So that started my interest, but then when High School Musical came out in like 2008 I knew that was what I wanted to do. Right after I graduated college, I shot a movie that premiered at the Venice Film Festival in Italy, and then another movie called Gigi & Nate; but Bel-Air was definitely my real breakout.
Take us back to the day you found out you got the role of Carlton. Did you celebrate this achievement?
What’s crazy is when I got the role, I couldn’t really tell anyone because of the NDA, so I just continued and went into my job at Equinox at the time and turned in my two weeks’ notice that afternoon. Other than that, I didn’t really do anything insane; I did call my mom right after and cried though because that was just surreal. Right after getting off the phone with my agent, I just kind of sat there in silent disbelief as the realization washed over me that “oh shit, I have to actually do this now huh?”
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Were you ever able to speak to the original Carlton Alfonso? If so, talk to us about how that conversation went and any advice he passed on to you.
Unfortunately Alfonso has a very busy schedule, so we haven’t actually gotten the chance to talk about my work on the show, but I’ve definitely heard from Will that the entire OG cast really supports the show.
In your opinion, how does your Carlton differ from the original?
I mean this version of Carlton’s demons are just more transparent, like they’re more on display. But ultimately, I think both characters share the same fundamental traits. It’s just that my version is played from a more dramatic lens and, as an actor, I get to really peel back the layers on what makes him tick. And through that, the audience gets to see his really dark moments.
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On the show we see Carlton struggle with mental health and substance abuse. How were you able to mentally prepare for the challenges your character endures?
Music is very much the backbone of how I work, so I make playlists for every character I play. On days when I really need to go there, I have a section of the playlist that coincides with a specific mood. But there’s also a section of the playlist that helps me decompress at the end of the day. It’s also a lot about finding the time for myself to work out and have time to myself because those days on set can be really taxing.
Season 3 of Peacock’s reimagination of Bel-Air has been out for a while now. Talk to us about the growth of your character over the years and your favorite memory from working on this season.
Season 1 of Bel-Air we meet Carlton at a very tumultuous time. He’s right in the middle of his battle with substance abuse and his general mental health isn’t in a great place since he and his ex, Lisa, just broke up. Then Will comes into the picture, and plunges him even deeper into a spiral because he starts dating said aforementioned ex.
That season was insane! So it’s really been beautiful over the last few years to show a character growing and learning how to deal with the world in much healthier ways. Carlton and Will actually get along this season, and those scenes were so much fun to shoot. Jabari and I are quite close in real life, so it’s always very refreshing for us to get to play off each other in funny scenes.
In season 3, episode 3 we have this really dope Fast and Furious-esque racing sequence that took us over two weeks to shoot and we just got to live our biggest action movie fantasies.
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For those who haven’t watched Season 3 yet, what can they expect from Carlton this season?
I’m so happy that this season I get to actually be likable and funny my goodness! This season takes place over summer, and so Carlton actually gets to have some fun and be in the sun and have a good time. There’s car racing, there’s sex, there’s drama…it’s a great season I can tell you that.
Not only are you an amazing actor but you have a career as a musician as well. It’s interesting because you aren’t the only Bel-Air cast member who does both. Talk to us about how you started your career and if you’d ever do a collab with S!mone and Coco.
It really is kind of crazy how production found an entire cast of people that are musicians! It’s not like it was in the audition materials. I’ve always loved music, but I really started working as a producer and writer in college.
In about 2019, I had gotten an iPad for Christmas and downloaded GarageBand and just kind of fell down a rabbit hole. I eventually bought FL Studio and started working on an EP all throughout the summer and fall of 2019 as I was graduating and shooting my first movie.
And then in 2020 I dropped my first EP “Soulful Gazing.” To your second question of course I’d love to collab with S!mone and Coco! All of us have been in the studio together before in various combinations, it’s just about finding the right moment and the perfect song you know?
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Speaking of “Soulful Gazing”, you released this project back in 2020 which features 6 songs. Take us back to this time and talk to us about creating this EP.
Creating this EP was something else; it very much felt like my birth as an artist. I started writing and producing it as I was graduating college, so a lot of the songs are about me being excited and terrified about being in the real world.
Every night before I’d go to bed, I’d just lay awake staring at my bedroom ceiling imagining all the things I was going to do with my life; it felt like the roof opened up and I was looking directly into the stars and the universe. I couldn’t find a word for that feeling so I came up with the phrase “Soulful Gazing” to describe it and it stuck.
One of the most incredible stories, while I was working on that EP, I was also shooting my first movie called “Run Hide Fight.” My first day on set went so poorly, I was just so nervous and couldn’t remember my lines and I felt like I was blowing my shot; that night I went home and wrote the song “Fading” about the feeling of imposter syndrome and not feeling good enough.
An entire year later, that movie was premiering at the International Venice Film Festival in Italy, and unbeknownst to me, the producers liked my EP so much that they played the whole thing on the red carpet. So if you see any pictures of me from that Premiere I’m sweating so hard because I’m trying not to cry at how overwhelmed I was.
You recently released a visual to your new song “BODYE”. Talk to us about the inspiration behind this song and the process of creating the music video.
Like most songs, it’s about falling in love. I had a night out recently where I met this girl and we barely even said anything to each other we just started dancing; and our bodies and energies just kind of synced up to the same rhythm.
It was almost like magic and I haven’t stopped thinking about it till this day. So much so, I wrote a song about it. That’s the beautiful thing about dance and love, I think it they transcend words. With the music video, I very much wanted to represent that. The entire thing is done in one continuous shot so whoever is watching feels like they’re going on the journey with these two people as they dance through this club as if they’re the only two people in it.
It took about three weeks of rehearsal with the camera team coming in the last week to learn their part. On the day, we did about 11 takes and I think the one that made it in was take nine.
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Do you plan on creating more Afrobeats music? If so, what Afrobeats artists do you see yourself working with one day?
I mean I’m a Nigerian Kid who lives in the US, Afrobeats is in my blood. I like to borrow inspiration from so many genres, but I definitely think Afrobeats will always be at the core of the music I make. I grew up listening to so many kinds of music; everything from Motown to Soul to Classic Rock to Disco, so I’m really interested in how I can keep blending those worlds together in a way that represents my interconnected upbringing. But I’d love to work with Rena and Asake someday. Those guys are absolute beasts and I think we’d make something insane together.
When can we expect a new project and how will it differ sonically from “Soulful Gazing”?
I’m not sure exactly when, but I can say I’m working on another project right now! It’ll come out when it’s ready. I think as an artist I’m so much more sure of myself and what I want to say. On Soulful Gazing each song kind of feels like a soft open door into a genre, or a sound I could play around with, but on my next project I’m excited for fans to see how well I interweave all of those worlds within the same song you know?
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You attended Fall NYFW recently and we want to know all about it. What shows did you attend, things you did for fun, designers you wore, spill the beans!
I love clothes and fashion so much. Fashion Week is always a blast. I went to the KidSuper show, the Sebastien Ami show, Theophilio, Romeo Hunte, just to name a few. My stylist Daniel Jones and I were just bouncing from show to show and attending all the after parties. It’s always dope to get to talk to these designers and see not only their inspirations but also watch them grow from collection to collection.
You’re a brand ambassador for many brands like Topicals, Coach and Lexus just to name a few. If you could work with any other major brands, who would it be and why?
I’d love to do a bigger campaign with Coach. I think from a design perspective, they are just doing some really really interesting stuff and revitalizing their brand. Calvin Klein is also very much up there. Their global reach is attractive, but also their impressive impact in simplicity you know? Also, I love being shirtless and it does give me a chance to do that on a Billboard.
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You have impeccable skin and hair; do you have a masculine beauty routine? If so, talk to us about the skin care and hair products you live by.
I swear by every single Kiehl’s product! From their Milk Peel Toner all the way to their face moisturizer. For my hair, I love the entire Mielle Organics line. Obviously Topicals as well. I just think as men it’s so important to take care of your skin. If you look good, then you feel good.
When you’re not working, what are a few things you do for fun?
Honestly, I’m still in the process of trying to figure that out; my currently issue is I love working so much that if I’m not on set, then I’m reading a script, and if I’m not reading a script, then I’m writing a script. Or if I’m not writing a script, then I’m in the studio working on music. So I’m trying to find hobbies at the moment; recently I’ve picked up sky diving and roller skating.
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The ladies want to know, if you could create your dream woman, what would she look and act like?
Haha look, what I will say is I LOVE ambitious women. I’ve always been surrounded by pretty strong women in my life, so I’m often attracted to women who are very unapologetic in their goals. I’m a huge believer in the idea that iron sharpens iron, so I want someone who has their own thing going on and we can bounce ideas off each other and become the best versions of ourselves you know?
For any aspiring actors and musicians reading this, what advice do you have for them?
Create art that you want to see in the world and forget about the rest. Also, become really good friends with the word “no” because you’re going to hear it a lot and that’s part of the journey. You can’t take it personally. Once you accept it as a part of your experience, then you become truly unstoppable.
What do you have planned for the rest of 2024?
I’m planning on being in the studio a *lot.* I’d like to put out an EP soon, possibly accompanied with a bunch of visuals but that will take time. I’m also always reading scripts and writing/developing my own scripted projects, so safe to say I’m kind of always a little bit busy.
Don’t forget to watch Olly on Bel Air in the Excellence! Collection on Peacock!
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TEAM CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa (@princechenoastudio)
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Tyler Patrick Kenny (@tylerpatrickkenny)
Videographer: Brandon Porras (@brandonnporras)
Wardrobe Stylist: Marty Mc’Fresh (@marty_taught_u)
Grooming: Ashleigh Ciucci (@beauteousmax)
Public Relations: Jill Fritzo Public Relations (@jillfritzopr)
