Nollywood actor, Frederick Leonard has opened up on the sacrifices he made in his rise to stardom.
Speaking with Vanguard Allure, the movie star said the prices are enormous, adding that amongst the sacrifices were -defamation and privacy.
“The prices you pay are endless. As a public figure, a lot of people would feel they know you and make you a topic of discussion. People who haven’t even met you, would have a lot to say about you. And sometimes, it can be quite annoying.
“Sometimes, you grant interviews and the tabloids cast a very nasty headline, and people judge you based on that without reading the interview. People create scandals and tie you to it. Sometimes people just inflate your age; right now, Google has made me four years older than my actual age.
“There is a lot going on. But the defamation of character is quite painful. Aside from that, you also lose your privacy. You want to transact, people know it’s you, then they inflate prices because they feel you have the money. Stardom has its highs and lows,” Leonard was quoted as saying.
Lamenting the misconceptions members of the public have about him, the actor stated: “People just look at you and think you’re a sudden way. For those of us who are 6ft and above, and have such a commanding aura, we are often seen as a bit standoffish. How many people would you have to go to and knock on their doors and say hey, I’m not that way? As an entertainer who is at the top of his game, it’s normal for people to have these misconceptions.
“The expectations are rather too high. Some people feel that it’s a different emotion that runs through celebrities. We will keep sensitizing and educating people so that we are not wrongly judged.
“I’m quite interactive on my social media handles and the reason I do that is because I want them to begin to understand the Frederick behind the fame. The man behind all the characters that I play is a very soft-hearted, playful young man. He is a people person. I get them to meet the real me than the assumed Frederick Leonard.”
