MUST READ-A hilarious letter to Nollywood from a jobless actress

So I got this interesting mail from a reader and decided to share.It is not just funny,but hilarious(atleast to me)..I hope you all identify with her plight...its pretty descriptive...

Read Below..

Hello people, my name is Tobi and I am jobless...lol. Ok let me explain this ‘jobless’ thing to you. I  graduated from uni last year September and instead of going straight for NYSC, I stupidly decided to go into acting for while just to get a proper stand and know how the industry works; even though I have done a couple of movies back in uni. This decision has turned out to be the most time wasting decision ever.

 I knew ‘Nollywood’ wasn’t an easy industry to break into, but I still decided to go all out to make it work for me by going through with my silly little plan and it back fired, making me jobless.



I set out with the idea of going from one location to another; shooting and having fun with what I
studied and also have passion for but, chaiiii, I don suffer. Nollywood decided to treat me otherwise
and i’m definitely not the only one in this situation. I’v been to one audition or another.

 Some I got through (yaaaay me!) but only to find out the whole audition was conducted to get “extra’s” for a particular scene (meaning your face no go show and even if e show, na “waka pass” ) and others I didn’t even get through the gate; not because I didn’t try but because the people auditioning decided to go with the ‘point and kill’ way of getting people in.

It even gets worse with the way people are spoken to and also the outrageous things demanded from we the ‘struggling upcoming actors’. Let me say out of 15 auditions, i’v gotten through 5 (i try shey)..lol. ‘Upcoming actors’ complain but our voices aren’t heard. We say we have an ‘actors guild’ but they don’t do ‘jack’ to help us. They are
focused on something entirely different and they just let the ‘upcoming actors loose in the industry
with all sorts of demands, harassment, threats and so many more.
The audition that really got to me was the Segun Arinze audition. Jesus! U need to see the
maltreatment. At some point, he came out shouting “don’t stand infront of my gate orelse i would
dismiss u”. Hian! See me see wahala ooo, no be una call us. It was really bad. We were left to
STAND in the scorching sun and to make matters worse, na “point and kill” dem do. People where
pissed but they couldn't leave because every “upcoming actor” wants to work, every “upcoming
actor” wants that BIG break that would lead them away from hustling for script here and there. Mr
Segin Arinze was an AGN president but on that day, he made it clear that he was oblivious of d
struggles of upcoming actors and basically didn't care. The guy fcuk up abeg. He totally messed up.
We hear of harassment here and there but we never really have anyone who is bold enough to admit
it and talk about it.

 The truth is, most ‘Nollywood’ male producers and directors are perverts (them plenty for my list. Wish I could name names. Y'l wud b surprised) and their female counterparts just can't be bothered with searching so hard for new talents so they just stick to the 'known faces' at their reach. Talking about perverts, Asaba takes the biscuit with this one. Chaii! You don't want to know what goes on in Asaba. I call that place 'sin city'. That has to be the modern day Sodom n Gomorrah (if God decides to clear the world, i’m sure he’l start from there). Sometimes I wonder why i'm still in this industry constituted by sin and a lot of immoral acts.......but the thing is I love acting, I love 'playing other people' and putting myself in their shoes, I love switching characters and telling stories in different ways and exploring my options; its fun and enlightening. My parents (father especially) have asked me to change profession but I find myself going back to acting.

 Although I work for a PR company just to while away time but acting is what I love. I can't turn away from it,even though Nollywood is making it hard. Upcoming actors hardly get a chance and some of them sef dey spoil parole for others because, one third of them no fit act as they are just hungry for stardom and they see acting as the quickest way and some of them bribe their way through with whatever they've got (their money or body). I'v got little money (infact e no dey cos now I broke die) and body no even dey equation so i'm basically on my own.

To end my ranting for now, abeg, help me beg producers,directors to give me script make I act. Me
sef wan win AMAA, AMVCA and the rest....lol. I believe i'm good at this and I won't give up
because I have a lot to offer and I believe in God and myself. I'l keep trying and trying until that 'big
break' comes.
P.S, this is my first written work (apart from my project work) so abeg no abuse me. Thank you.
God bless you all and thanks for reading :D