Nollywood actress Matilda Lambert chronicled her early days in the Nigerian movie industry and it was— well — less than inspiring. Lambert revealed that she faced sexual harassment from directors during auditions.
Lambert said in an interview with Punch Newspaper: “When I started, I went for an audition. I did well and was given the script and everything. However days before the shoot was meant to start, the director called me and started saying I have to come and meet him somewhere”.
This was years ago when she was trying to get any roles she could. To be confronted with sexual demands so early on broke her heart and nearly made her give up on acting. The actress was distraught, angry, and vengeful.
She said: “I was angry and hurt. I said to myself that one day, I will produce a movie and call this same guy to come and act a ‘Waka pass’ role. I had this very bad impression about going for auditions and people taking you for granted, so I stopped attending auditions.”
Lambert then talked about meeting that same director again years later. She said: “The world is a very small place. This same director years after came back to Abuja to film and he needed a very beautiful location.
“Someone brought him to my house. When he saw me, he couldn’t remember. One thing led to another and I told him who I was. He screamed and covered his face in shame. “
Summary of the matter
An awful amount of exploitation happens in spaces where women are on the lower end of the power dynamic. Society loves to point to the women on top as signifiers that it is indeed equal. But many — if not all — of those women have to claw their way up the ladder.
On the other end of the spectrum, their male counterparts simply stroll. You see this in the educational setting as well as the job market. And now Matilda Lambert is letting us know that it is rife in the movie industry also.
Men treat sex as transactional instead of hiring a woman for her capabilities. These same men then turn around and slander them for taking what they thought was their only option.
Matilda Lambert said about the issue: “I always tell people being in a position of power and authority doesn’t mean you use it to oppress people.” The situation is even more dire because no one checks these men.
We’re glad Matilda hung in there and made a way for herself despite her challenges.
