Media personality Emma Ugolee has criticised the growing trend in Nollywood where actors are allegedly selected for roles based on their social media following rather than their acting talent.
In a strongly-worded post shared on Instagram on Wednesday, Emma referenced two lead actors, William Benson and Bucci Franklin, from the trending series To Kill a Monkey, as examples of skilled professionals being overlooked in favour of internet sensations.
“Did you know that there is a currently practised unwritten Nollywood rule that should be dead already for how much it sucks,” he began.
“Actors have been getting roles based on the social media following that they command, which is considered vital for the successful publicity of the movie,” he continued.
Emma described the casting culture as “sickening and unfair” and noted that despite the talents of Benson and Franklin, the duo only have a combined following of about 380,000 on Instagram, a number he believes is modest because of their private and controversy-free lifestyle.
“They are certified by both male and female fan bases to be exceptionally great at their craft, possessing both the gift and the training to act. True professionals,” he wrote.
He contrasted this with a third slide in his post which featured social media content creator Egungun, known for engaging street interviews that often include sexually suggestive questions and requests. Egungun, who has amassed over two million followers, was used to illustrate the kind of online engagement Nollywood now seems to prioritise.
“With ladies, [Egungun] has trademark requests that they show how wiggly & wobbly both their mammary glands and butt cheeks can be. Reveal fav s#x positions, repeat words after him & demand a replay of the sounds they make in the bedroom,” Ugolee noted.
“This is in no way to make fun of what he’s doing,” he clarified, “but to show you exactly what it takes to get the engagement Nollywood is asking of these professional actors as tickets to get acting gigs.”
Ugolee urged casting directors to stop putting pressure on actors to gain social media fame in order to land roles.
“Believe it or not, some actors just want to act without being popular. Stop putting pressure on them to meet your criteria for a public following,” he wrote.
“They might have everything it takes to kill the role and nothing it takes to impress fickle-minded people en masse daily,” he added, ending with a salute to filmmakers who still choose actors based on merit: “Shout out to directors who ignore this rule while casting.”
To Kill a Monkey, currently gaining traction on Netflix, has earned critical praise for its storytelling and performances, particularly by Benson and Franklin. The show’s growing popularity has sparked fresh conversations about talent recognition in the industry.
