When Being An Actor is More Than Just Having A Pretty/Handsome Face

I have sat through my own fair share of auditions. Some of them were open ones when you’ll have to sit through 5-6 hours watching people who number over a hundred come in one by one to read out a script. Then there were the private ones where aspiring actors were given an appointment to come and audition where the only audiences were the producers and us writers.

I must say an audition especially an open one can sometimes be a tiring and frustrating process. You see different people with different characters come over to take a shot at landing a role in an upcoming movie. Half of these people can’t speak well and there are those with these acquired and annoying accents that I can best describe as somewhere between ‘Cambodian’ and ‘Sri-Lankan’…yes it’s very annoying!

Then there are these people who I must say are good looking, they know it and then they believe that since they’re good-looking, it automatically qualifies them not only to be actors but to rise meteorically into the group of A-list actors. I would have sort of agreed with them…if only their acting skills were not akin to a lizard trying to pass off as an alligator.

The problem with a lot of aspiring actors is that they think acting is just about standing infront of a camera and delivering lines. They look at our current A-listers and all they see is flashy cars, traveling business class all over the world, brand endorsements running into seven to eight figures, not putting into thought the hard-work these people must have put in to get to where they are today.

I remember once in the late 90s early 2000s, I was watching a program on TV and Genevieve Nnaji was being interviewed. She was the fast rising star then and the interviewer had asked how she prepares herself for acting. Genevieve responded by saying she spent hours infront of a mirror, practicing. Thinking back, I now wonder how many young girls/guys who want to be actors actually take time out to do that? I can almost bet that the only times these young ones look in a mirror is to re-apply makeup and to ensure that their hair/outfits are not out of order.

Nobody wants to work hard anymore. They want the glitz and glamour but are they ready to sweat for it the way these guys did? If there were no endorsements, appearance fees and trips around the world, would they still consider taking up an acting career? There’s clearly a case of misplaced passions here: the passion isn’t for acting but for the material benefits that come with it.

Uche Jombo once told me it took her over 11years to get to where she is right now, Ramsey Nuoah first appeared on my TV screen when I was in Secondary School. A lot of these guys have paid their dues and they deserve the rewards that come with such sacrifices.

So I’d advise the pretty girl/handsome guy who wants to act just by virtue of the fact that they are ‘fine’…Look in the mirror and tell yourselves the truth. If you can’t act, stay away from acting but if you still insist and aren’t willing to improve on yourself, (shrugs) there’s always Asaba and ‘waka-pass’ roles for you.