Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Omoni Oboli, has shared her thoughts on the significance of popularity in the Nigerian film industry.

Speaking during a recent interview, she stated that an actor’s level of fame plays a crucial role in determining how often they are cast in roles. According to Oboli, the more well-known an actor is, the more opportunities they receive.

She emphasized that in Nollywood, visibility often translates into more work, making popularity a valuable asset for any performer aiming to succeed.

She said in an interview, “So, you know, all over the world, the reason why people try to build their career is so that they become household names, is so that they become faces that people can recognize. Because the more popular you are, the more jobs you will get. It is what it is. It’s not peculiar to Nollywood. That’s how it is all over the world. People have their faves and they want to see their faves.

“However, we also create faves. We also use people that people didn’t really know them before. And then you use them over and over again and they become faves. So once they become faves, everyone is now using them. So that’s how it works. So it’s not a bad thing to say, oh, filmmakers are using popular faces. At the end of the day, the audience would click on a movie because they recognize who’s on the cover, right? And actors know that. So everyone wants to be popular.

“Everyone wants to be a household name so that when people see your film, they click because they know you and they like you. It’s just the way people would buy something from people they know, love and trust, right? It’s the same thing with movies. So yes, we use people that are not well known and we make them well known so that other people would use them as well, right? So that’s how it works”.