Nollywood actress, Doris Ifeka, has explained how she managed to avoid being taken advantage of by a director in the early stage of her acting career.
The screen diva claimed that a filmmaker, whose name she opted not to reveal, expressed interest in collaborating but insisted on being paid first before offering her the part.
Ifeka said she informed him straight out that she didn’t have any money at the moment, and despite his increased pressure, she stuck to her guns, emphasizing that she was okay if he didn’t choose her for the role.
The actress revealed hat the producer eventually changed his mind as a result of her persistence, and he subsequently phoned her to offer her the part without requesting payment.
She argued in an interview that intimacy between actors and directors is not forbidden, but it should be mutual, not forced.
In her words;
“As an actress, it is almost certain that one would experience sexual harassment, because some producers would want to sleep with one before giving one any jobs. So, yes, I have experienced it.
I don’t have a problem with a producer liking an actress. If the feeling is mutual, no problem. What I have an issue with is a producer saying he must sleep with an actress before working with her.
I recall being in such a situation but I won’t mention the name of the person involved. I was still coming up in the industry then. A particular producer wanted us to work together, and he told me to pay him in exchange for a role.
The money the person was demanding for was not much, but I told him I did not have the money at that time. I also told him that if he did not want to work with me until I paid him, I was fine with that. I insisted, and he eventually called me back to play the role, without paying.”
