Nigeria, March 29 -- Before social media made virality look easy, fame was anything but instant. It was not something you stumbled upon overnight or captured in a fleeting clip.

In Nollywood, especially, an actor could dedicate a large part of their career to the craft and remain on the margins, waiting for a defining moment.

That moment, when it came, was often unexpected.

For Francis Odega, it arrived in the form of a single, unscripted outburst, "Gerrahere."

After years of playing supporting roles with limited recognition, Odega found himself thrust into the spotlight not by an entire film, but by a few seconds of raw, improvised brilliance.

Long before it became viral, Odega was not a household name. Like many actors in Nigeria's...