Popular Ghanaian actress Beverly Afaglo has shed light on the challenges she and many other artistes faced during her early years in the film industry.
Speaking in an interview on Joy Learning TV, the accomplished actress and entrepreneur revealed that producers practiced discrimination by casting light-skinned actors over darker actresses for major roles in movies.
Afaglo explained this industry preference stemmed from the widespread belief that lighter complexions appeared more appealing on camera.
“Our time, what most of the producers were doing was, you have to be a half-cast. I think Jackie Appiah was the only person because she was a star already so they needed her.
“Producers thought light-skinned actors looked better on TV. As a result, most of them preferred casting light-skinned individuals,” she said.
The actress described the intense pressure actors faced during auditions, where one mistake could cost them rare opportunities.
“There was talent. It wasn’t about beauty or what you were wearing or anything. Everybody was ready to act. People were acting. We were really daring.
“People can master lines in one minute because when you get that chance to audition for a role, it was your only chance and the queue behind you was so long that you don’t want to make a mistake. But the casting for producers made it difficult for us to get into the acting field,” she narrated.
She noted the industry only became more inclusive when storytelling demands forced producers’ hands.
““It got to a time that they didn’t have a choice but to use us because, at that time, most of the stories that were out were about kingdoms, princesses, girls-girls, those stories. So girls-girls, you will need us. You can’t use just one person; you need everybody. So they knew that they had to work with us,” the actress observed.
ID/KA
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