Genevieve Nnaji: Hollywood Made Me Realize I Was A Commodity

Genevieve Nnaji, a veteran Nollywood actress, has opened up about her experience pursuing partnerships in Hollywood following the success of her 2018 film LionHeart, which was purchased by Netflix for a reported $3.8 million.
She added that she never received the support she expected in Hollywood, and that the experience taught her that she was a commodity.

She claimed that Hollywood wanted what she had solely for their own profit.

The actor revealed this at a panel discussion at the 2024 Afro-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum/Afreximbank Annual Meeting.

She remarked, “For the first time, I realised I was a commodity. I assumed that, given what I had accomplished with Lionheart and everything else, I would be granted the opportunity to achieve even more. Getting there and having the kind of support that CANEX is certainly bringing on board, but I expected to find it in Hollywood. That was not exactly the situation.

“They wanted what I had, but for their own advantage. It was entirely about their narrative. It was all about how, even if it was our story, I could make it more real to their own perspective of Africa, as they did have a lot of literature in their archives.

She also stated that she could have gone to Hollywood years ago, but chose to stay and contribute to the growth of Nollywood.