Veteran Nollywood actor, Prince Jide Kosoko, has sparked a conversation about the issue of sex-for-roles in the film industry.
According to Kosoko, while there are cases of exploitation by filmmakers, some women also intentionally enter the industry with the mindset of using sexual relationships to achieve fame.
Kosoko, who has spent over five decades in the entertainment industry, made this revelation during an episode of The Honest Bunch podcast on Monday.
He said “If I said I need you to come and warm my bed so that I can give you this role, and you said no, you don’t want to, they cannot force you to do it.”
He said while there are indeed cases where certain individuals in the industry exploit young women, there are also aspiring actresses who arrive with the intention of offering sexual favours in exchange for movie roles.
“I know some ladies that equally come into the industry with the determination that, by the time ‘I sleep with this and sleep with that, I will get my name.’”
Kosoko’s statement adds a new layer to the ongoing conversation about sexual exploitation in Nollywood as, for years, many have blamed producers and directors for preying on upcoming actresses.
Recall that in 2021, comedian and actor, Debo Adebayo, popularly known as Mr. Macaroni, also raised an alarm over the way sex-for-roles had quietly become a norm in Nollywood.
In a series of tweets, he called out industry players who refuse to help new talents unless they offer sex or money.
“This is a perfect time to speak and appeal to the conscience of those in the industry who will never give opportunity to upcoming artists until they sleep with them or collect money from them. Make una dey fear God!!!
“‘Open your paynt, those before you did it ooo. If you want to help your career, come and suck me’ Where is our humanity? This has gone on for so long and it has even become a norm. You will see great talents struggling simply because they refused to ‘suck’”.
In 2020, actresses, Sharon Jatto and Oshevire Divine, publicly accused producer, Victor Okpala, of requesting sexual favours in exchange for roles.
Jatto posted screenshots showing the filmmaker allegedly trying to convince her that sex-for-role was normal practice, even after she revealed she was underage.
Divine shared a similar story, explaining that she was told talent alone wasn’t enough.
With a career that began in the 1960s, Jide Kosoko is regarded as one of Nollywood’s most respected and influential figures.
He has featured in over 200 films, spanning both Yoruba and English-language productions. He is also a former President of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP).
