TYPECASTING AS AN ALBATROSS IN NOLLYWOOD
By Odusanya Omowonuola
Stereotyping in Nollywood is not a new thing. The moment we see some particular faces in a movie, we already know what role they play and we can even guess what the movie might be about. Patience Ozokwor in a movie means there’s going to be a portrayal of wickedness in the movie to a particular extent. Does typecasting of actors limit their craft? To an extent it does.
Actors who have been known to play a stereotyped role might find it hard to break free and try out other characters. Producers and directors who have known them for this role will keep casting them for such roles because of how well they interpret such roles. This stereotype has brought some actors to limelight and even created a niche for some in the industry. But nonetheless, the ability of an actor to take on diverse characters and interpret them all very well is what makes an actor a good actor.
Seeing an actor play the role of a rich man today, poor man tomorrow and even a thief on other days proves to the audience that the actor is versatile and knows his craft well. Actors like Funke Akindele, Bimbo Ademoye and many others have over the years proven to be versatile in the roles they take on in movies.
Stereotyped actors who we know for playing a certain role do not mean they are not good and versatile as well. Sometimes they have been cornered into being stereotyped. A typical example is the King of Boys Odogwu Malay, rapper cum actor, Tobechukwu Ejiofor popularly known as Illbliss who played the role of Odogwu in King of boys. He said in an interview that since he featured in KOB 2 he has been getting calls and scripts from producers who want him to play that same bad boy role in their movies. This is a case of producers in the film industry stereotyping actors. He further went on to say he has been declining such offers because he wants to try out other roles and not be stereotyped.
There is also the issue of story stereotyping which is also rampant in the movie industry. Nollywood stories are known to start in a particular way and end in a particular way. Audience are used to these stereotyped stories, they know the end of the movie from the beginning. Though in recent times filmmakers have improved with their storyline but we still need to put in more work into changing the narrative.
Gender stereotyping is also evident in Nollywood films, Where women are portrayed as weak, sex objects or even to be lesser than a man. Men on the other hand have been stereotyped to be dominant, leaders and aggressive, which is not meant to be so, because women can be aggressive and men can be cast for homely roles like being a chef too. Things are evolving and filmmakers need to wake up to the reality of now. Women should not be limited to some particular roles, vice versa men too should be open to playing diverse roles and characters in movies.
Stereotyping in the movie industry is an easy way out for producers, they don’t have to go through the trouble of training new people or trying out different roles for actors. However, it can become boring to viewers when they see the same thing over and over again. Versatility brings new things to the viewers and makes them see these stereotype actors in a new light.
