Destiny Osagiede, a rising star of stage and screen from the West Midlands, is looking to forge his own path in the industry, through both his dedication to his roles and for his endeavours to give voice to black culture in the arts in the United Kingdom.
Destiny, also known as Prince Dots, is known for his works in both the British and Nigerian film industry. He is a graduate of Theatre and Performance arts from University of Benin, Nigeria, in 2012, and has since made a name for himself as a versatile actor starring in a variety of roles across film and television.
He has credits in the 2019 feature The Lost Okoroshi and the 2021 series Blood of Enogie, in which he won an Edisa Award for playing Prince Adewale. Recently, Destiny starred as the lead in Nigerian-produced film, Fading Echoes, released this past summer at the RTF Festival at Worcester.
Outside of acting, he has diversified his career in dance choreography, spoken word poetry, event/red carpet hosting, modelling and as a catwalk instructor.
Destiny is also the CO-founder of BDots Studio, an award-winning dance company with its headquarters in Nigeria established in 2015. He has also worked with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) as a volunteer theatre performer and choreographer in creating awareness of irregular migration, sponsored by the European Union for several years
In 2022, he signed an endorsement deal with the Edo state health insurance scheme as a health ambassador in Nigeria and became the first indigenous Nollywood actor in his state to have his face and contents grace billboards across the city before relocating to United Arab Emirates and eventually to the United Kingdom in 2023.
His career continues to gather momentum and reflects the increasing cross-cultural exchange in entertainment, where actors from Africa are gaining prominence in international markets.
In 2024 alone, Destiny has been making his fair share ofcrucial cultural milestones in representing the marginalised in the arts.
In the summer, Destiny starred in the independent short film, Fading Echoes, directed by Nigerian filmmaker Toyosi Ige and written and produced by Mikail Bashir. It was screened on the last day of the RTF Festival, at the Hive Studio in Worcester, and received strong praise from audiences, most of whom were fellow filmmakers. It stood as part of RTF’s endeavour to encourage ‘fusion’ between cultures in the industry. According to its webpage, the festival “acts as a bridge linking cinema enthusiasts and artists in the Midlands and encouraging participants from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to collaborate with UK-based filmmakers.”
Destiny, Ige and Myself pictured in promoting FADING ECHOES at the RTF Festival in Worcester
The film documents harsh experiences of Nigerian immigrants in the UK. Fading Echoes refuses to pull punches in describing the traumas people have thrust upon them. Dialogue set pieces from lead actor and rising Midlands star, Destiny Osagiede, fill the audience with chills as the fleeing immigrant recounts murder sprees he was forced to witness.
I was fortunate to star in the film in a cameo role at the end as an immigration officer, who congratulates Destiny’s troubled protagonist on achieving his new life away from the traumas of his homeland.
During filming we got to know each other and he told me of he uses his work to not just make his name but also give voice to stories and people of marginalised groups. “[I]t’s my dream to tell a story that is unique […] something we don’t see everyday”.
His next role would cement this as, in October, Destiny started as the lead in LAROCHE, the play about Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche, the only known Black passenger on the ill-fated Titanic. Destiny was not only representing a largely forgotten character in a renowned event of history, but he also became the first Nigerian actor and arguably the first known black actor to portray the titular protagonist.
LAROCHE program
LEFT: Joseph Laroche and his family photographed. RIGHT: RMS Titanic sinks
Laroche’s life, which was tragically cut short during the sinking of the Ship of Dreams, was adapted to a stage production shown in the Black Box Theatre in Birmingham. It was sold-out for each of its 3 show nights.
Destiny Osagiede with LAROCHE director Dr Carlette Norwood
This historic role is not just a significant achievement for Osagiede’s career but also an important cultural milestone. With its release as a celebration of Black History Month, its subject matter brings to light a lesser-known story of the Titanic tragedy. The casting of a Nigerian actor to lead a production, along with a predominantly black production crew, is a powerful assertion for the increased representation of Nigerian theatre on the importance of diversity and the need to tell stories from a broader perspective.
When asked the importance of embodying Laroche and his life, Destiny considered it a ‘privilege’. “People need to know Laroche’s story, see how [he] sacrificed his life to help his family and I hope we make something that can touch the world.”
Destiny’s performance in both Fading Echoes and Laroche, among several others, will stand as a reminder of the untold stories that still await discovery and representation in film. The diverse range of his roles and the obscurity of the stories they come is a testament to his tenacity as an actor and will to take on the challenges.
