Seun Emmanuel
Nollywood actress Jemima Osunde has spoken out about recent factors influencing the casting of actors in the Nigerian movie industry.
The movie star claimed that filmmakers are now pressuring actors to become social media content creators before casting them in their films.
Osunde made this claim in a recent conversation with her colleague, Jammal Ibrahim.
She said: “Now, it’s as though they [filmmakers] are forcing every actor to be a social media content creator before casting them. It’s as if you must dance on the internet to get roles. Why?
“It’s like if you’re not an actor with a strong social media presence, we’re not casting you because we need you to sell our film. That shouldn’t be the actor’s job.”
Jammal Ibrahim added: “That’s where good management comes in. I’ll give you an example: I told my management that I don’t know how to dance. I’m a terrible dancer. So, a good manager would look at you and say, ‘Okay, this is your personality. How can we work with who you are to make you better?’ Not, ‘How can we push you to be everyone else?’
“If you’re doing a PR stunt for a film and you’re going to be dancing, seriously, I’m not going to be part of it, unless I feel like the dance is something I can do. I don’t want to look stupid on screen. It’s just not my personality.”
