'Genevieve Nnaji & Omotola Jalade Are Currently unemployed ' - Obi Emelonye

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 Forget the Genevieve – Etisalat deal and the new property Omotola just acquired on Bank Anthony road in Ikeja, the two actresses are definitely not smiling as very few acting opportunities have come their way. According to Obi Emelonye, producer and director of Mirror Boy and Last Flight to Abuja this development is not due to the fault of the actresses rather, they have become victims of their own success.

In an exclusive chat with TheNollywoodReporter.com, Emelonye said:

“Genevieve and Omotola are the two biggest actresses we have in Nollywood, they cannot afford to charge less than their status and that is where the problem comes in. Their charges are probably above what the industry can afford. Their charges are like half of the entire production budget so which producer can afford that?”

Continuing, he said:

“What they can do now as it is with other big stars all over the world, is that they should begin to fund their own productions and act in them, they can act whatever role will enhance their brand, they need to start a production company now, and push themselves because they need to remain relevant and must not be seen as jobless. If corporate bodies perceive them as jobless they won’t want to do business with them, they might even price them cheap.”

It will be recalled that the two acts have not been frequent in movies and the last one Genevieve did, Dr. Bello was a flop at the box office. She was also sparingly used in Half of a Yellow Sun. Omotola has not done any major film in recent times. Her last major movie was Last Flight to Abuja about two years ago. She was however named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, a mention that made her the most talked about celebrity from Nollywood.