Angela Eguavoen calls for talent to remain central to Nollywood

Actress and filmmaker Angela Eguavoen has urged Nollywood to maintain a stronger balance between commercial success and talent. In an interview with PUNCH, Eguavoen said the industry she watched while growing up was heavily driven by talent. She believes the social-media era has placed greater emphasis on popularity and the audiences performers can attract to cinemas, streaming platforms and YouTube.

Eguavoen said producers needed to make money because filmmaking was a business, but argued that commercial considerations should not displace artistic ability. In her view, an industry built primarily around popularity risks losing the qualities that gave Nollywood its identity. As an actress, she said she preferred roles that challenged her and required her to explore unfamiliar aspects of performance.

She cited roles in “Blood of Enogie”, “Enakhe”, “Italo” and “Grace to Live” as examples of work that stretched her. Eguavoen said she wrote and played the role of a bus conductor in “Grace to Live” after the part she wanted was not being offered by producers. She considers the performance one of her strongest.

As a producer, she said she wanted to tell stories that were relatable and had emotional depth. Her aim, she explained, was for viewers to take something meaningful away from a film rather than simply conclude that it was entertaining. She also described her approach to vulnerable characters.

Eguavoen said she tried to accept a character’s reality and understand what the person was experiencing instead of merely memorising lines. On screen image, she said sex appeal could attract attention but could also distract from talent. Ultimately, she argued, an actress’s work had to demonstrate her ability.

The interview material available ends while Eguavoen is discussing love and her friendship with actress Etinosa Idemudia.