Glamour And Grief: The Price Nollywood Actors Pay For Fame

Nollywood actors often grace red carpets in elegant gowns, captivating audiences with their performances from Lagos to Los Angeles. However, behind the glamour lies an unsettling truth: many of these actors are struggling to make ends meet. Despite being the driving force behind Africa’s most prolific film industry, Nigerian actors are raising concerns about horrifically low wages, the absence of royalties, and an industry structure that, while celebrating their fame, largely neglects their welfare.

AN INDUSTRY BUILT ON PASSION, NOT PAY

As Nollywood commands global screens and surges in economic output, the paradox is glaring: booming profits on one end and heartbreak on the other. Popular actress Ayo Adesanya puts it bluntly: “We have fame, but we don’t make money.”

“Many people have the notion that because Nollywood is big, practitioners are well paid. But how much do we earn?" she asked with a deep breath.

Adesanya’s sentiment reflects a growing frustration among Nigeria’s top acting talent. Despite Nollywood being the second-largest film industry in the world by volume, churning out over 2,500 films annually, actors continue to endure what some call a 'suffering and smiling.'

Theatre actor Afeez ‘Saka’ Oyetoro shared how the industry's poor pay once cost him a relationship. “The lady I was supposed to marry told me to quit acting. She said I was wasting my life and that I should do something meaningful with it.

“I had no car, so obviously when you call a girl to marry, they will say no; there's no future for this man," the 61-year-old thespian said.

Another respected actor, Adewale Alebiosu, recalled being paid just ₦3,000 (less than $2) for appearing in 11 scenes of a movie. The fee was so humiliating that it brought him to tears on the bus ride home.

"Because of the nature of our job, we are heavy spenders. The clothes you wear matter to the world. We call it packaging, and the worst is that you can't even repeat your expensive clothes." Legendary actress Patience Ozokwor shared her view on the razzmatazz of the showbiz industry.

THE STRUCTURELESS GIANT: NO RESIDUALS, NO INSURANCE

Despite the digital age offering new platforms for visibility and monetisation, including Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube, Nigeria's film industry remains deeply fractured when it comes to equitable compensation.

“Just four years in Hollywood. Two test projects. Monthly residuals. 30 years in Nollywood. 310+ projects. No residuals. Nollywood needs structure,” wrote superstar Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, a household name across Africa, in a scathing Instagram post.

Her words struck a chord across the industry. Unlike Hollywood, where actors receive back-end royalties long after a film’s release, Nollywood's “shoot-and-forget” model pays actors once with no legal claim to future earnings, syndication, or global sales.

According to Uzo Umeh, an industry veteran, the absence of royalty laws in the country is at the core of the crisis. “You shoot a film, they pay you as an actor, and that’s the end. But if there was legislation that mandated royalties, ageing actors wouldn’t be poor.”

A BILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY WITH BROKEN POCKETS

The disparity is even more confounding considering the revenue figures. According to projections by the Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NEC), the country's entertainment industry is expected to generate $14.82 billion in 2025.

Last year alone, the sector grossed over ₦3.5 billion with more than 935,000 cinema tickets sold and millions of dollars earned through streaming platforms. High-grossing films including 'Jagun Jagun,' 'Everybody Loves Jennifer, ’ ‘Queen Latifah, ’ ‘Ajosepo, ’ and 'Ajakaju' dominated both local and international charts. Yet this growth has not translated to reasonable compensation. 

Lateef Adedimeji, lead actor in the historical epic Lisabi, warned that low pay is already killing the motivation of creatives. “Everyone with talent needs encouragement, and money is that motivation. It assures the individual that if they keep improving, there is a financial reward for their effort.”

Rave-making actor Uzor Arukwe echoed a similar call. “Our counterparts abroad enjoy backend payments and royalties. Here, we’re stuck with one-time paychecks, if we’re lucky.”

Global icon Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) offers a different perspective. RMD, whose film titled ‘Radio Voice’ is currently in cinemas, stated that the passion for acting supersedes its reward.

“There is no money that you will pay an actor in today’s Nollywood that we would consider as big money. We love the work so much that we could work according to your budget,” said RMD, talented thespian and former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State.

‘OLD SKOOL’ STARS TURN TO CROWDFUNDING

Without a backend deal or health insurance, some veteran actors have taken to social media to publicly request donations from fans to cover their basic needs.

Yoruba film legend Margaret Olayinka, popularly known as Iya Gbonkan, tearfully requested financial assistance online. “Celebrate me while I’m alive,” she began. 

“I have been acting for decades, yet I don’t have a car. I jump on buses every day. If I die now, you will kill a cow,” Iya Gbonkan, who usually walks with a walking stick, begged for assistance.

Fans responded with generosity, sending gifts and cash.

Many elderly actors have also joined the trend, which critics and industry watchers say is a sobering indictment of a system that fails to protect its pioneers.

“Social media is not a place for begging. If we want to help one another, we can do it with dignity, not like this,” actress Jaiye Kuti cautioned her colleague.

THE COST OF CREATIVITY: FILMMAKERS UNDER PRESSURE

As actors demand fairer pay and filmmakers face mounting costs, Nollywood finds itself in a financial tug-of-war. 

According to movie director James Abinibi, not a single Nollywood producer has made a huge profit at the cinemas this year.

"Producing a high-quality film now costs upwards of ₦200 million," Abinibi said. To recoup, a film must gross between ₦700 million and ₦900 million, an almost impossible target in today’s economic climate.

“Streaming platforms are buying fewer titles. Actors are charging more. Equipment rental is dollar-indexed. The arithmetic just doesn’t work anymore,” he lamented.

He also criticised the over-reliance on social media gimmicks like dances and comedy skits for film promotion, saying they fail to translate into ticket sales. “The audience trusts international films more. That’s our painful truth,” Abinibi added.

As she transitions into directing with 'Mother’s Love’, Omotola offers a sobering financial breakdown: cinemas take 50% of earnings, VAT is 7.5%, entertainment tax adds 5%, the distributor’s fee is 15%, and further costs include 10% withholding tax and up to 20% of the budget spent on publicity.

“After all that, what’s left?” Omotola asked. “We must talk about this or return to the shhhh culture.”

STRUCTURE: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Despite having bodies like the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), many industry stakeholders and actors agree on one thing: Nollywood lacks structure.

AGN President Emeka Rollas admitted that government support will remain elusive without proper frameworks. “To attract funding, you must stand on a structure. That’s Nollywood’s greatest problem—disunity and lack of cohesion.”

THE PATH FORWARD

For Nollywood to thrive and truly globalise, industry analysts say it must institutionalise residuals and royalty systems, standardise pay scales for actors and crew, create legislation to protect ageing and retired talents, build sustainable partnerships with streaming giants, and unify fragmented guilds under a central creative union.

Until then, Africa’s largest film industry risks becoming a house of mirrors, glittering on the outside but hollow within.

*Olaitan Ganiu, reporting from Lagos.

ABOUT OLAITAN GANIU

Olaitan Ganiu is a seasoned film and cultural writer. He crafts compelling narratives that capture the vibrancy of Nigeria’s arts, entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle scenes.

Celebrated as the first Nigerian to win the prestigious iDiaspora International Photo Contest by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).