Actor, Yemi Shodimu, urges self improvements by artistes

A veteran actor, Yemi Shodimu, on Thursday urged actors and actresses to upgrade themselves educationally so that they could improve on the qualities of movies they would be producing.

Shodimu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the industry would be able to compete favourably with its counterparts internationally when artistes were willing to acquire more knowledge.

He said that artistes could do this through researches, watching movies from other parts of the world, learning from successful artistes within and outside the country.

He said that this would stand the industry out.

“Continuous learning is important in this profession, and in any profession whatsoever; I learnt from my senior colleagues, from researches and from the up-and-coming actors and actresses.

“Nobody is an encyclopaedia of knowledge, some of the up-and-coming actors and actresses are loaded with brilliant ideas.

“So, we must see and embrace how it is done in other parts of the world and ensure the industry is improved on,’’ he said.

Shodimu added that the government and corporate organisations must also be willing to give the industry the support it needed to succeed.

He also implored the government to provide the enabling environment for it to thrive.

He said that the activities of some security agencies and area boys in the past had affected the industry.

“You want to shoot a movie; you will run away from harassments from some security agencies, local government officials and area boys.

“Some scenes which ordinarily should not have taken more than an hour to shoot, one might stay for a whole day due to interruptions from different angles.

“The movie industry is part of the larger society in Nigeria, whatever rot is seen in it is a reflection of what is going on in the larger society.

“We should not expect that part of the society will be cleaner than the entirety; I believe each one of us should take care of our small corner to ensure the larger society is sanitised.

“The industry gets little or no support from anywhere and for it to have achieved so much, I give kudos to individual practitioners,’’ Shodimu said.

The veteran also said that the Nollywood must not be left solely for private individuals to groom.

He said that the government and corporate organisations should show commitment to its growth.

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