Actress Ruby Ojiakor has compared the menace of s3x-for-roles in Nollywood to a cartel, expressing doubt anything could be done to end it.
The Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu graduate in an interview with Punch explained s3x-for-roles in the movie industry has been deeply embedded in the core fabric of the system.
She explained individuals those who attempted to report such cases would simply be wasting their time because the offenders would gang up against them since they’re closely knitted.
Orjiakor recalled how she was yanked off a movie she was already shooting as lead actress with popular Ghana actor, Majid Michel for not obliging the marketer’s s3x-for-role demand.
She noted despite having successfully shot some scenes with Majid, the marketer swiftly replaced her with another actress, deleting all her scenes because of refusal to ‘get down’ with him.
“I remember when I was called for a job in Enugu and we shot it for two days. I was supposed to be the female lead character in the movie. The marketer that owned the job wanted to ‘get down’ with me. But, I told him I could not do such a thing”, she explained.
“I thought that since I had started shooting some scenes in the movie, nothing could be done to me and he cannot cancel my scenes, which I shot with Ghanaian actor, Majid Michel, then.
“I also felt Majid would not want to re-act the scenes he had done before. Those factors made me think that the producer’s decision to change me would be fruitless.
“But to my surprise, I was not called to continue my scenes. When I challenged the production manager, he said I should not be angry because someone else had been called to play the role. I was not given any reason for being removed from that project.
“I asked if Majid agreed to re-shoot those scenes and I was told he was paid extra money to do so. That was how I lost a movie role because I refused to sleep with the owner of the movie. The scenes I had already shot were wiped out from that movie. That was a painful experience, but I have moved on,” she said.
Commenting on s3xual advances from movie makers and how reporting to their fellow offenders would be a futile effort, she advised actresses on what to do to overcome the challenge.
Orjiakor added: “I don’t think anything can be done to stop sexual advances from filmmakers. Some people have tried to report them, but it has not yielded any positive result.
“When an actress reports an offender, she is practically setting herself up for a fall. The offenders know themselves, and if one person reports any of them, they would gang up against that actress in the industry, and she would not be getting movie roles.
“It is just like a cartel. The best thing is to train oneself and be firm that even if others are doing it, one will not do it. That was what I did.”
