Young actors suffer unfair treatment from producers – Samuel Robinson

Up and coming Nollywood actor, Samuel Robinson has lamented instances of injustice being faced by budding acts in the movie industry.

Robinson, a model cum actor whose role as Akin Bello in Ebony Life Tv’s Desperate Housewives Africa and the soap opera, Tinsel, brought to limelight, disclosed that young actors in Nigeria are treated unfairly by producers and directors, ranging from sexual harassment, unfair and unequal wages and the likes.

He recalled how he featured in a certain movie produced by one Chioma Onyewe and how she allegedly refused to pay him what was meant for the job. He claimed that Chioma sidelined him and cut him off communication with her after the movie was successfully produced.

In a piece made available to DAILY POST, the ‘Shuga’ act said, “It is no new story that young actors in Nigeria are treated unfairly by producers, Directors etc. It varies from Sexual Harassment, unfair and unequal wages to not even being credited for a movie or TV series.”

Narrating the injustice that was done to him, Robinson wrote; “A couple of years back whist just beginning my Acting career, I auditioned and was cast to play Young Victor In a movie titled 8 Bars & A Clef. I was excited. Though the money wasn’t anything to write home about I saw it as an amazing opportunity for me to learn and gain more acting experience.

“It seemed like a privilege to work with Actors such as Kehinde Bankole, Bimbo Akintola, Wale Ojo, and Linda Ejiofor While filming the movie, I twisted my ankle performing an intense scene and was incapacitated for a few days.

“It was a very intense project and I literally sweat, bled and cried for this movie. We completed filming and I went home. Almost three years later, I was contacted by the producer Chioma Onyewe. She informed me that she would like to shoot some extra scenes for the movie.

“She had screened it before an audience and she said they felt disconnect from my character’s transcendence into an older version of me played by IBK Spaceshipboi.

“She asked if was available and I told her that I was at the time in Calabar filming a project for EbonyLife TV called The Governor. She asked when I would be back so we set the dates.

“Chioma and I were friends at the time so I didn’t think it was necessary to give her a contract (she never extended one to me) for the agreed sum that I would be paid for that day.

“We had a verbal agreement that would be paid a particular sum on that day. The day came, it was intense and gruelling I had to carry cement, shovel gravel, walk half naked and sell DVDs’ in the hot sun.

“Watch the movie and you’ll see these scenes. We wrapped shoot and I went to Chioma to as for my money so I could head home. She said she didn’t have it. As she was my friend and all, I didn’t push it. A month later, I needed money urgently and remembered that I still hadn’t been paid for by Chioma.

“I sent her a message asking to be paid. She replied that she still didn’t have it and I replied saying that it had been a month and she told me she was tired and she would send it when she had it then she blocked me on whatsapp where I was messaging her. It took me emailing her and copying her Dad’s company, her mum and her brother for Chioma to pay me.

“I called her a few months later to ask for footage for my show reel as some international agents were requesting for it. She told me and I quote “samuel don’t call me, don’t correspond with me” then she blocked my calls.

“Chioma began publicizing her movie ad didn’t inform me a major cast in the movie. She put up publicity items without mentioning my name or tagging me in them. She scrapped my name from the cast list. She set dates for the movie premier without informing me or inviting me.

“I felt a need to share this to shed light on the injustices young actors face n this country. Was I wrong to demand money I worked for log after it was overdue? It is not all rainbows and sunshine in the entertainment industry. And the young actors out there need a voice,” Robinson added.

Meanwhile, efforts by DAILY POST to get the reaction of the said producer, Chioma, proved unsuccessful.