Tuesday, June 18, 2024 -Genevieve Nnaji has shared what she experienced while seeking partnerships in Hollywood after the success of her 2018 film, LionHeart.
The Nigerian actress said she realised that
she was viewed as a commodity, with Hollywood interested in exploiting her
talent and African stories for their benefit.
She noted that they wanted to use her to
tell their own stories, rather than authentic African stories.
Genevieve said this while on a panel at the
2024 AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum/Afreximbank Annual Meetings.
She said: "For the first time, I
realised I was a commodity. I thought, you know, given what I had done with
Lionheart, and all of that, I was going to have an opportunity to do more.
Getting there and having the kind of support that obviously CANEX is bringing
on board, but I thought I could find it in Hollywood. That was not quite the
case.
"They wanted what I had but for their
benefit. It was all about their story. It was all about how, even if it was our
story, I could make it more authentic to their own understanding of whatever
Africa is because they did have a lot of literature in their archives."
Genevieve said she chose to stay in Nigeria
and contribute to the industry’s growth rather than pursue opportunities in
Hollywood.She said:
"But I am Nollywood. I could have gone to
Hollywood a long time if I wanted to. But I had a dream to build an industry in
Nigeria that could rival it. That’s because I’ve always believed in that. I
have always believed that we were capable of actually owning an industry like
that, that told our story for our people. I wanted that. I respect what
Hollywood is doing. I respect what Bollywood is doing and I felt like Nollywood
had an equal chance at it.
“So when I found it wasn’t quite what they
had in mind I was like I’m just going to wait this out and the Covid happened
and the worlds switched at that point and Africa sort of became it.”
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