Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji, a multiple award winner, has opened up about how her expectations were not met by the harsh reality of Hollywood.
She said that after the success of her 2018 film Lionheart, which Netflix reportedly paid $3.8 million to acquire, she realized she was just a commodity in the US-domiciled film industry.
The 45-year-old movie star stated that, given her accomplishments, she had expected to receive enormous support from Hollywood, but instead she encountered an intrusive and domineering platform that intended to take advantage of her.
As her vision involved owning an industry that told “our” story for our people, Genevieve claimed they tried to force her to tell the African story in a way that was Westernized.
She highlighted the advantages of Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), an Afreximbank program that offers support, including financial support for trade and investment in Africa’s creative sector, during a panel discussion at the 2024 Afro-Caribbean 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.
“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 think Nollywood had an equal chance at success with Bollywood, and I admire what they are doing.
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