Posted by By Emeka Enyinnaya on
Day in, day out, it is being confirmed that some Nollywood actresses do unimaginable things to secure movie roles. What exactly they do? Of course, sleep with movie producers and directors in a manner that suggests barter.
Day in, day out, it is being confirmed that some Nollywood actresses do unimaginable things to secure movie roles. What exactly they do? Of course, sleep with movie producers and directors in a manner that suggests barter.
Interestingly, for every Nollywood gal that points one accusing finger at the male folk alleging that they demand sex as prerequisite for acting role, the remaining four seem inevitably pointing back to her. After all, these are the same characters that allegedly throw themselves at the producer, saying something like ‘I am prepared to do anything you want me to do'.
Perhaps, these are the characters that have been described as being all 'brawns and no brains".
That much, Lina Joseph, herself a Nollywood star, told Sunday Sun in an exclusive interview in Lagos.
Let's face it, has Lina ever proposed to ‘do anything you want me to do' on her way to the top?
Shot of voicing Tufiakwa, the Delta state-born actress issued a disclaimer:
'I do not need to beg for movie roles because I have got all it takes. When you first enter the industry, you are like a Jambite in the University, so you have to go through all kinds of rigours before you find your feet. I have passed that stage. Where I am now, if my services are needed they will send for me. At least I have spent five years in the industry.
The people that cannot survive the rigours of the industry are those that do not have what is needed, and are ready to do anything to get what they want."
So what does Lina possess that others lack? 'I have the potentials," she boasts.
Continuing, Lina said: 'To be relevant in the industry, you need to have potentials, which include good looks, good command of English language, a good body frame, the rest you leave to God. I believe I have all these, coupled with a degree in Theatre Arts. A lot of the people coming into the industry today are not in anyway qualified to be here. But because the economy had made it so bad for people to get jobs (elsewhere), they just show up and are ready to grab any role."
Roles
In five years that Lina has been in Nollywood, she has featured in close to 35 films, including African tallest man, Bonjour and more others.
Nonetheless, she sees no reason why some gals would make a fuss of the issue of sex in the industry. For her, sex as tonic, isn't peculiar to Nollywood. Rather, it has become a common phenomenon in virtually every sector of regular life.
'Most times when I hear the younger ones talking about directors/producers making advances at them, I laugh because I just feel there is no field where such things don't exist. Even if you are selling pepper in the market, or you work in the bank, these things are bound to happen. Anywhere there is a man and a woman, there must be attraction. It is a normal thing but the final decision is with the individual. So I don't believe that there are any real challenges; it is just normal. Most of these people that keep shouting wolf come to present themselves to the directors and expect these guys to turn the other way. For goodness sake, these guys are human beings. What do you expect? Of course, they will eat and clean their mouth."
Nollywood
The industry is getting somewhere. Like you know, Rome was not built in a day, so we need time. We need not only time, but certainly more hands in the industry. By that I mean people that are ready to put down money for us. At least, so that we could have our own universal studio where our movies can be done easier, rather than going to people's houses to disturb them in the name of shooting movies. If the government could invest some money in the industry, I'm sure we will get there. Making movies require a lot of money. I believe we will certainly get there someday.