Who doesn’t like Rico Swavey? Just on Monday this week, and in their diary sessions, the housemates were asked by Big Brother who they think is the best cook in the house. It didn’t take long for them to easily say Rico Swavey. Since the third season of Big Brother Naija began in late January, Rico has applied himself to every task and function, and he can be relied upon to provide daily doses of humour and shenanigans. Last month, he was declared as a promising king of memes, a title held by popular Yoruba actor Odunlade Adekola.
Except for last weekend’s alcohol-induced vomit session and illness, Rico has been upbeat and entertaining. But are all these as a result of his acting background? Or is he just putting on a show? Born as Patrick Fakoya, 25-year-old Rico is a cast member in the EbonyLife TV drama series Life 101, a youth-leaning show about four friends navigating university life. He plays Tobi (I laughed as I wrote this!), a budding footballer juggling the demands of football and academics, with a relationship sandwiched in there.
Life 101 debuted in 2017, and it’s been Rico’s most visible work in the entertainment circuit. His career as an alternative artiste hasn’t particularly taken off, but acting is what Rico does quite well. As evidenced by his mannerisms and off-the-cuff jokes on Big Brother Naija, Rico has seemingly sheathed himself into character. Understandably, this might just be his game plan, and he’s been nailing it so far.
When Bernard Dayo isn’t writing about pop culture, he’s watching horror movies and reading comics and trying to pretend his addiction to Netflix isn’t a serious condition.
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