Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke, has disclosed that film producers within the West African nation determined to cease casting him for 2 years after he stood up for his fellow poorly remunerated actors.
Talking on the ongoing Worldwide Youth Empowerment Summit in Accra, Jim indicated that this occurred after he stood in entrance of the “elite producers and stars” within the film business in Nigeria and demanded higher pay for his colleagues.
When his request was not heeded, he “known as” a bunch of actors and requested them to ask for “extra money.”
The producers, due to this fact, stood their floor and banned them as a result of, in keeping with Jim, they didn’t assume the actors deserved the pay rise. As such, they recruited new actors- this occurred in 2004.
The actors who have been banned have been popularly known as the G8. They included Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Richard Mofe Damijo, Genevieve Nnaji, Emeka Ike, Ramsey Nouah, Nkem Owoh, Stella Damasus , and Jim Iyke.
“Apparently, our producers have been changing into multi-millionaires and the actors, not me, I imply guys that have been barely decrease, have been struggling. And so, I known as the group and mentioned, we have to change the construction, with out us they don’t exist. We’re those the followers know. We’ve got the present and the expertise why ought to they be incomes greater than us?”
Jim Ike who has described the ban as a “blessing,” added that the film business in Nigeria started to dwindle as the brand new actors have been “completely rejected” by Nigerians. On account of that, the producers needed to recall them as they couldn’t “make the 1 million and a couple of million gross sales” motion pictures have been raking in earlier than they banned the ‘G8’ actors.
The actor, who has starred in additional than 150 motion pictures, mentioned that this occurred as a result of the producers thought they “made” the actors and as such, they have to take no matter they got.
No matter these sentiments by the producers and entrepreneurs, Jim Ike strongly believed that though “each star of consequence got here beneath someone,” he was not made by these elite producers.
“On the negotiating desk everyone had one thing to say. I made you, with out me you wouldn’t have been that. I gave you, your first probability. My colleagues saved quiet as a result of everyone had a leaning, had someone to level at to say with out you I wouldn’t have been no matter it’s that I grew to become.
“So, I mentioned one factor, can someone get up and honestly declare that with out them I wouldn’t have come up. Not one individual. As a result of I knew how I began. I knew the assumption that I had… I refused to do small roles. For the primary 2 to three years of my profession, they saved giving me small roles and I refused them. I mentioned if it’s not a significant lead then I’m not doing it,” he mentioned.
