The national president of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Emeka Rollas has said that Nollywood actresses like Kate Henshaw, Ini Edo or Destiny Etiko could have played the role of Shuri in Black Panther acted by Guyanese-British actress Letitia Wright.
Mr Rollas said this in a recent interview with QEDNG publisher Olumide Iyanda while stressing the need to showcase Nigerian actors to international casting agencies.
He said: “I watched Wakanda Forever, from the beginning to the end of Wakanda Forever, you know there is an African story. Now, rather than consider Nollywood actors to play in that film, I know a South African made it but as big as we have seen Nollywood is, anybody who sat down and crafted that story or did the casting for that film should have considered an actor from Nollywood.”
“All the things that Letitia did in that film is not more than what the Kate Hanshaws of these days can do, the Destiny Etikos, the Ini Edos, so what is so special about bringing Letitia from one of those countries to act in an African story where you mentioned a General Okoye, that lady called General Okoye in that film, that name means ‘we have the interest to enter Nollywood to do XYZ’. So I don’t want to limit the Nigerian actors.
“If you are in Nollywood as an actor and you have been here for 20 years and you have not been able to hit a movie that can be able to give you residuals or royalties till you die, you have never made impact.”
Speaking further, Emeka stated that one of the reasons the guild decided to host its International Festival abroad, is to create a good diplomatic relationship to ensure Nigerian actors are able to secure roles in the international film business.
Why we took AGN International Festival to Miami – Emeka Rollas
“Then the reason why, another why is that people think we should have done the AGN festival in Nigeria but our target is not the Nigerian market, our target for AGN international is to showcase actors to the international casting agencies, using their craft to create a good diplomatic relationship so that our actors can begin to get roles in the international film business,” he said.
