Media personality Emma Ugolee has criticized Nollywood’s increasing tendency to prioritize social media popularity over genuine acting talent.
In a strongly-worded post, the seasoned broadcaster described the industry’s “unwritten rule” of casting actors based on their follower count as “sickening” and unfair to trained professionals.
Using two lead actors from a trending series, To Kill a Monkey, as an example, Ugolee pointed out that despite having impressive acting chops and being well-respected by both male and female fanbases, the actors have relatively low follower counts.
“Why?” he asked. “Because they’re not trading their privacy, nudity, or personal drama for clout.”
He went further to contrast them with a popular internet content creator whose massive following stems from asking women to wiggle their bodies, mimic bedroom sounds, and share their favourite s3x positions—all on camera. According to Ugolee, these are the types of people Nollywood prioritises for casting, simply because they draw attention online.
“This is in no way to make fun of what he’s doing,” he clarified. “But to show you exactly what it takes to get the engagement Nollywood is asking of these professional actors as tickets to get acting gigs.”
He appealed to producers and casting directors to stop putting pressure on actors to “entertain with their real lives,” adding that many great talents have no interest in public scandals or online drama—they just want to act.
Ugolee ended his post by praising directors who still prioritise skill over social media stats: “Shout out to the directors who ignore this rule while casting.”
