Blame Actresses For Sexual Harassment In Nollywood – Nazareth Bako

Nazareth Jesse Bako is a relatively new face in Nollywood, but she has already featured in a number of flicks. In this interview with ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM, she debunks claims that men are solely behind sexual harassment in the industry.



Excerpt from the interview :



You have acted with a lot of people in the industry, what are the challenges you encountered during the period?


I have worked with a lot of people in the industry having come from the field of Business Administration and Management because I didn’t study Theatre Arts. Because of this, initially, I had a little problem because I couldn’t catch up. I learnt a lot from my colleagues on positioning, character description because acting is my passion. By the way, I am from Kuje area council of the FCT born and bred in Niger State. As an actress, it’s not been easy because you have a lot of competitors and the accessibility to meet up with some jobs because I reside in the FCT. Although we shoot movies once in a while, Abuja is not much of an entertainment place. For example, if 20 movies are produced in other places, in Abuja, only five would be produced. But I have been going around the country shooting movies, so it’s not been easy.



Which has been your most challenging role as an actress?



The most challenging role I have ever played in a movie was being a Catholic Reverend Sister. It was challenging because I don’t know the doctrine. I had to learn how to recite the rosary and also how to say some prayers. I spent days trying to catch-up. It wasn’t smooth though, but I was able to meet up.



Have you ever been harassed by a fan before?



Yes, I have (laughs)







Let’s get the gist.



It was this fateful day when someone accosted me and said, ‘This was the girl I saw fighting on the screen with only bra calling names’. I had to enlighten her that I am just an actor maintaining that it was a role I had to play in the movie which doesn’t depict what I do in real life. She’s even a woman. Even with my explanation, she said, ‘No, don’t play that kind of role’. I then told her that if I don’t play that kind of role, how will she and others know about the disadvantage of being a prostitute or a good or bad person?





This takes us to the issue of sexual harassment in the industry. Have you ever been tried to get a role?



I have never been harassed before. If you look at it critically, this things happen in every sector and not just in the movie industry. Go to the ministries and their parastatals, even in all these private organisations, they practice exists. Sometimes, your boss will walk up to you and start touching you. In the movie industry, there is nothing like that because there is no way, a producer, director or a marketer infringe in your privacy or hold you in an uncomfortable way. The fault is always from the women. You come to location and you don’t dress properly and you don’t expect the men to look at you? (laughs); there is freedom of looking, you know! I believe it is the ladies that has most of the problems. There’s nothing like harassment in the industry. Sometimes, you find out that most girls walk up to their rooms, chatting and even end up sleeping there. So, I don’t think the men are to be blamed.






Has any of your male fans ever approached you for a relationship before?



Yes…lots of them. Some of them called me and I don’t even know how they got my contacts. I have many that come down from Europe. Some text while others call.







So how do you cope with them?



Ehmm…(laughs) I just give attention to the one I can and leave the ones I can’t mingle with because I study you from the first moment I get in contact with you. I get to know the kind of person you are, your intentions. It doesn’t mean that I have to date them all. We can be friends.



So who is your best actor in Nollywood ?



My best actor in Nollywood so far has been Ramsey Nouah because he is versatile. He can interpret any kind of role. He is still very relevant.



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