Bisola Aiyeola explains why BBNaija stars are more likely to get movie roles than budding actors.
It is common knowledge that the reality TV show BBNaija is like a pipeline that feeds into the Nigerian entertainment industry. We also see this happening with Instagram skit-makers playing comedy relief characters in movies. However, many people don’t like that and often accuse producers of putting clout over talent and sidelining budding actors.
Aiyeola spoke on the popular transition of many BBNaija stars into Nollywood and why people should stop being offended by it in an interview on Inkblot Meet & Greet. She said, “For those producers that use a lot of BBNaija stars in their movies, first off, it’s a business. I don’t know why a lot of people take it personal.”
“I see my colleagues attacking people that are coming from Big Brother house; and I’m like, ‘what if it was their dream?’. I will use T Boss as an example. In the house, T Boss always said she wanted to act but she was scared,” Aiyeola revealed. ‘So whenever we had tasks, I would assign them to T Boss because i”m already an actor and I’ve been in the business for some years. Now she’s acting and she’s not doing bad.”
“I guess people have this belief that once you go on BBNaija, you’re already big enough and you shouldn’t take opportunities for movie roles away from other people in the acting business. But it’s still a business. The film producers have seen that the individual has numbers and if you look at it.”
“You need to see it from the business perspective. It’s just for the numbers. Producers might need certain people to bring in their fanbase to come and watch the film. Aiyeola also added, “It’s not like producers always give BBNaija contestants lead roles all the time. Most of the time, it’s just cameos. Don’t hate anyone’s hustle and don’t take it personal”
Aiyeola, who starred alongside fellow BBNaija star Tobi Bakre in Sugar Rush said, “I was criticised for going for BBNaija. But because I went there and more people heard about me, my career grew by a lot!”
Naz, Zulu, Damola, and Aiyeola also discussed how Big Brother contestants have thousands of hours of footage that can count as an audition; so producers know what they’re getting from the beginning.
