Genevieve Nnaji Shares Challenges Pursuing Opportunities in Hollywood

Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji has opened up about her experiences seeking opportunities in Hollywood after the success of her film Lionheart. Despite the movie's achievements, including being acquired by Netflix, Genevieve revealed that she lacked the necessary support to pursue further projects in Hollywood. Speaking at the 2024 Afro-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum, she shared her realization that she was viewed as a commodity in the industry. Genevieve expressed her initial expectation of finding support in Hollywood, but acknowledged that it wasn't forthcoming. However, she highlighted the support provided by Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), an initiative of Afreximbank that offers financial and trade support to Africa's creative sector.

 In her words: “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.”

“But I am Nollywood. I could have gone to Hollywood a long time if I wanted to. But I had a dream to build an industry in Nigeria that could rival it. That’s because I’ve always believed in that. I have always believed that we were capable of actually owning an industry like that, that told our story for our people. I wanted that. I respect what Hollywood is doing. I respect what Bollywood is doing and I felt like Nollywood had an equal chance at it,” she said Click here to watch video

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