Nollywood actress, Jaiye Kuti has shared her thought on the issue of sex-for-roles in the industry, saying it’s a 50-50 thing.
In an interview with Global Excellence, the movie star said for anyone to thrive in the movie-making sector, such a person has to be talented.
While revealing that she has never been asked for sex to feature in a movie, Kuti explained that beauty doesn’t qualify one for movie roles.
According to Kuti, being talented is peculiar to securing movie roles.
Her words: “It is a 50-50 thing. From my own experience in the industry, I have never been asked out by any producer or director, or even co-artistes. As co-artistes, we may just admire ourselves. I have never been told specifically that because of this role I have to go out with you. I don’t think anybody has reported it to me. I know that once in a while it might happen.
“When you are focused and you know what you want to do in the industry, nobody will say that ‘if I don t sleep with you, I wouldn’t give you that role’. If you are good, they will beg to use you. You have to ask yourself whether you are really an actress because some people just think that money is in the industry and they want to join the industry. ‘I am a beautiful girl. I want to be there’. But no! It doesn’t work like that. You may be beautiful; you may not be good at it.
“If you are not good at it and you want to be there by force, then you have invited trouble. The producer will want to sleep with you because he knows that at the end of the day you are still not usable. Some of these people create problems for themselves.
“When you are good, I think the director will not let you go. You have to be focused; you have to face what you want to do and you have to know why you are there.”
Advising aspiring actors to exercise patience in the course of exploits, Kuti said: “You have to start gradually. Rome was not built in a day; that is the system in this industry. As you grow with it, people get to know and like you, and before you know it your phone number will be flying around.”
