Genevieve Nnaji, a veteran Nollywood actress, has opened up about her experience pursuing partnerships in Hollywood following the success of her 2018 film LionHeart, which was purchased by Netflix for a reported $3.8 million.
She added that she never received the support she expected in Hollywood, and that the experience taught her that she was a commodity.
She indicated that Hollywood wanted what she had, but only for their own profit.
The actress revealed this at a panel discussion at the 2024 Afro-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum/Afreximbank Annual Meeting.
She stated:
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“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.”
She also said that she could have gone to Hollywood years ago but decided to stay back to contribute to the development of Nollywood.
