An actress, Nneka Nkem, has said plus-size actresses like her are marginalised in Nollywood.
In an interview with Saturday Beats, she said, “Getting roles for actors generally is not easy; talk more of when one is plus size. Plus-size actresses are marginalised a lot. It is tough getting roles as a plus-size actresses. One would just be hearing things like, ‘If there is something for you’. That means there has to be a particular role one has to fit in just because of one’s size.”
The actress also maintained that she had stopped taking roles that portrayed plus-size people in a derogatory manner. She said, “I don’t like the fact that the only role given to plus-size actresses is that of an old woman. Are they (filmmakers) saying there aren’t teenagers who are plus sized? I started turning down roles that mock plus-size people, or intend to make them the butt of jokes and comic relief. An actor should be able to play any role, but when it started becoming a pattern, I began turning down such roles, even in skits. I usually get messages from producers, and I tell them to send the script. When they send such scripts and I see that the plus-size character is not treated well, or is portrayed in a negative light, I reject such scripts. I am sick and tired of things like that.”
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