A newspaper interview granted by Genevieve Nnaji to Punch quoted her as saying that she was not willing to return to Nollywood as it has been characterized by mediocrity and blandness.
Several players in the industry had called her out on the harsh words, and she has issued a rebuttal on her Instagram saying;
"I never called my industry bland and mediocre. Truth or not, they were NOT MY WORDS. As a person/writer, you can "assume" what you like about my thought process but DO not project those thoughts as "quotes" by me. It's distasteful, insensitive and quite unprofessional. It's insulting to those limited few working hard to make a difference in the industry. I am a product of Nollywood and my loyalty remains unshaken."
The part of the interview referenced asked the actress why she did not appear in more movies these days; and she had suppossedly said;
“I guess I haven’t found the right script yet. Creativity and depth are the qualities that I look out for in a script. In the beginning, the movie industry emphasised quantity but things are changing and there is an improvement in trend. I am among the people who advocate for the improvement of the industry. So said, I am constantly watching out for the kind of stories I take part in. I am in support of movies that show a great deal of professionalism and creativity. Having practiced my art in international & professionally produced stories like ‘Ije’; ‘Mirror boy;’ and ‘Tango with me’, I don’t think I can return to the blandness and mediocrity that characterized Nollywood in the past.”
Genevieve's rebuttal came with this picture that captures her thoughts succintly;
Mac Collins Chidebe, a Nollywood director in a statement sent out to the media, had lashed out at Geneveive about her criticism of the industry. The statement read;
"Genevieve has just insulted the industry that made her who she is today and what effort has she made to help improve Nollywood? Those days in Enugu when Genevieve was growing in Nollywood, our movies were not rubbish; she has grown now, made money, fame, popularity e.t.c, how much has she invested in this Industry that made her?
All the while she was busy waiting for Titanic scripts, Nollywood was trying their best to keep the flag flying waiting for her to come back and take the industry to the next level. Artistes should stop biting the fingers that fed them. We are watching and waiting for them to bring down heaven. We made them stars; we are waiting for them to come back and take the industry to the next level. Instead of blasting Nollywood, come and improve Nollywood.”
But she is right, Nollywood is quite mediocre and bland, i always roll my eyes when i see a Nollywood movie showing on tv, it hurts my brain, i dont know how anyone can sit for hours on end watching those movies, Nollywood needs a lot of improvement, and instead of waiting for some messiah to come and save Nollywood, they should save themselves, afterall they see how its done professionally, we should stop all these emotional comments abeg! Saying she struggled in Enugu is just BS, who hasnt struggled? She manage to crawl her way out of the Mediocre Nollywood, i admire her for deciding to be picky about the movies she wants to take part in, old things have passed, she is allowed to be picky now
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