Veteran Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji has opened up about her experience seeking partnerships in Hollywood after the success of her 2018 film, LionHeart that was bought by Netflix for a rumoured $3.8 million.
She stated that she never found the support she expected in Hollywood, adding that the experience made her realise that she was a commodity.
She explained that Hollywood wanted what she had, but simply for their own benefit.
The thespian disclosed this on a panel at the 2024 AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum/Afreximbank Annual Meeting.
She said, “For the first time, I realised I was a commodity. I thought, you know, given what I had done with Lionheart, and all of that, I was going to have an opportunity to do more. Getting there and having the kind of support, that obviously CANEX is bringing on board, but I thought I could find it in Hollywood. That was not quite the case.
“They wanted what I had but for their benefit. It was all about their story. It was all about how, even if it was our story, I could make it more authentic to their own understanding of whatever Africa is because they did have a lot of literature in their archives.”
She also said that she could have gone to Hollywood years ago but decided to stay back to contribute to the development of Nollywood.
