Nollywood actress, Okawa Shaznay is famous for her role in “Iyore,” “Delilah,” “Refugees,” “Cheaters Vacation,” “Sisters at War” among others. The Cameroon-born actress spoke about the difference between the Nigerian and Cameroonian Film Industry.
Talking about her challenge “My biggest career challenge has got to be in the period when I moved to Nigeria sometime in 2013. I had to understand my surrounding and the people ; basically getting acquainted with Nigerian living because I felt it will play a big part in the film roles I’ll play.
As being in Nollywood, it is normal to find scripts written from a Nigerian perspective. So understanding the country I now live in was very important which wasn’t easy back then when I first moved here as it is now years later.
On how difficult it is to find a good role in Nollywood;
“In general, I would not say it is difficult, but it definitely takes hard work and determination to find good roles in Nollywood; as you can see in recent years based on some great movies which have been released, we find that there are actually good roles which come from great writing and producing as well.
Now getting the good roles will have to come with how well you’ve carved a niche for yourself in regards to the type roles you’ve had in the past and the ability to network within the industry. More so, I find that if you are not getting good roles or roles In general; actors are getting into the production aspect of filmmaking to create these opportunities for themselves which is a big plus. If you look across Nollywood today people have created big brands by producing movies themselves to have those roles they desire. So, in my opinion, I generally do not think that it is more of being difficult in finding good roles, but rather more on focus and networking in the right channels.