Nollywood actress Adunni Ade says she thinks she was blacklisted from the English-speaking part of the film industry.
The mother of two made the revelation in a recent interview with Chude Jideonwu. In the interview, Ade spoke about struggling with depression and moving back to Nigeria to begin a career in acting.
“I feel, I might be wrong, that I was outcasted out of the English [industry] I won’t say 100 percent,” Ade shared. “But I have had jobs taken away from me, colleagues who have now become big names yank my name off or make lies to producers and EPs on reasons why they should not give me a job.”
Ade lamented the nepotism that goes on in Nollywood; saying, “Deals, endorsements have been yanked off my feet because they don’t know me or they don’t like me or I am not their person. So they would rather put someone that they are cool with who would give them a cut than me who truly deserves it.”
Ade, 33, further disclosed how she experienced a decline in her career right after her AMVCA nomination.
Watch a clip of the interview below:
Adunni Ade is not the first to talk about being blacklisted in Nollywood. Many have spoken about the blacklisting culture in Nollywood which usually starts with top production companies. More recently, Nollywood filmmaker Blessing Egbe called out unnamed filmmakers for defrauding producers. She claimed the fear of blacklisting has ensured filmmakers stayed silent over the years.