Friday, June 21, 2024 - Genevieve Nnaji has shared what she experienced while seeking partnerships in Hollywood after the success of her 2018 film, LionHeart.
The 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 Africa 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 here
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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