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By John Ogunsemore
Veteran Nollywood actor and producer, Kanayo O. Kanayo said an actor’s primary selling point should be talent and not a fine face.
He stated this in a video shared on Instagram on Monday while riling against the re-emergence of a familiar problem in the movie industry.
The Living in Bondage actor said the problem dated back to the early days of Nollywood, where sponsors and promoters blacklisted talented actors simply because they were not deemed commercially attractive.
According to him, the same mindset is beginning to resurface in another dimension on new platforms like YouTube.
He said this has bred a fresh set of pompous actors he tagged “YouTube faces” who hold producers to ransom because of their dominance on streaming platforms.
Kanayo vowed to use new actors that were talented and passionate whether or not they were popular on streaming platforms.
He said, “I have decided to take my destiny in my own hands as it pertains to my platform on YouTube.
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“Movie making is not about having a fine face, it’s about being a good actor, a good performer. So, with or without a fine face, that’s what I’ve decided to do. If you don’t like it, well, that’s quite unfortunate.”
Kanayo explained, “There was an incident many years ago when we were trying to bring up this Nollywood business, about 25 years ago. Some sponsors woke up and started branding actors: ‘this one is not a good one, this one does not sell films.’ They killed the careers of those guys. I can mention names, but for the sanctity of this broadcast, I won’t.
“Such a thing is beginning to rear its ugly head again. The acclaimed YouTube faces are beginning to bring up the same thing, killing talents in the industry.”
He criticised the fixation on a few faces that dominant streaming platforms, saying it stifles creativity and prevents development of fresh talents.
Kanayo said, “Some of these guys will tell you they are not free from September 2025 till August 2026.’ How then do we sustain the content you watch? How do we create magic? How do we encourage new actors to come into the business? I don’t want any producer to call me for a job because I’m a selling face on any platform. Call me because I can deliver.”
He encouraged new and talented actors to come on board, vowing to give them a platform.
“If you’re a new face, come on, let’s do magic on Kanayo O. Kanayo TV on YouTube. Let’s create stories with people who can deliver, who can act,” he said.
