Award-winning British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo has shared a humorous story from his teenage years, revealing how pretending not to understand Yoruba helped him navigate life at a Nigerian boarding school—and even led to him dating twin sisters simultaneously.
Speaking during an interview, Oyelowo recounted that although he spoke Yoruba fluently while growing up, he chose to keep that fact hidden when he enrolled in a boarding school in Nigeria.
According to the actor, his foreign accent led many classmates to assume he could not understand the language, allowing him to quietly listen to conversations taking place around him without anyone suspecting a thing.
“It was like being the invisible man,” he said.
Oyelowo explained that fellow students often spoke freely in Yoruba in his presence, discussing everything from school gossip to their personal opinions about him.
The actor recalled overhearing girls talk about their feelings toward him, noting that some would claim not to like him in English but express the exact opposite when speaking Yoruba.
In one of the most surprising moments of the interview, Oyelowo jokingly revealed that the situation eventually resulted in him dating twin sisters at the same time, leaving the interviewer visibly stunned and amused.
Beyond the romance, he said the experience also exposed him to plenty of gossip, including negative remarks made about him in the dormitory. Despite this, he maintained his secret throughout his two years at the school.
The actor said the truth finally came out on his last day, when he began speaking Yoruba fluently to classmates who had spent years believing he could not understand a word.
According to Oyelowo, the reactions were unforgettable.
“Their faces,” he recalled with laughter, describing the shock that swept through the school after his secret was finally revealed.