Having seen the number of aspiring actors in Nollywood, you do not need to be told how competitive a Nollywood career can be. However, there is still a demand for new talents as we keep seeing the popularity of Nigerian TV series and Nollywood movies.
The following advice is from distinctive Nollywood actors who hope they can help alleviate certain pitfalls for growing actors. We hope you take this under advisement as most of these actors wish they received the same before starting out. Let these be your guide to a wonderful and professional acting career.
Nollywood Career Tips
- Don’t get into acting to escape stress. In fact, that is the beginning of a life full of stress. Acting schedules can be unpredictable and put your personal timetable under a lot of stress. It could steal even your free time and holidays and requires you to devote lots of time to your career. Acting is also physically demanding and requires agility as working hours can become very long at times.
- A lot of publicity comes with having a Nollywood career and steals your private life. For some, it is a way-of-life. So if you are not prepared to lose your privacy just yet, don’t go into acting.
- Don’t expect to get rich at once! High profile actors are known to demand very high salaries due to their high visibility. While the yet-to-be-known actors who are still struggling for small roles are paid much less
- You can not make it in acting without a thick skin. It is a profession that comes naturally with criticism. A thick-skinned person will easily dispel criticism, and not take it personally.
- Think of yourself as someone who is solving a problem for the auditioning director. If you can solve a problem for them, you will be hired. They can’t play the role themselves, they need you.
- You must be good at wearing a new mask because every role requires you to be somebody new. Different techniques and mixing up your acts are required for every single role.
- Desperation can be a slow killer of your acting career. You risk losing everything if you are seen as powerless and helpless. Empower yourself and be good at what you do.
- Don’t imitate someone else. You are not expected to be anyone other than yourself. It will harm your career. People respond well to authenticity and uniqueness.
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