Actor and former Big Brother Naija housemate Seyi Awolowo has drawn a clear line between acting and marketing, insisting that performers are paid to act and not automatically required to promote the films they appear in.
Speaking on the Conversations With Kenni podcast hosted by Kehinde Ajose, the actor addressed the ongoing industry debate of if actors should always promote movies they feature in. Seyi separated passion from business.
“Passion for the job and business of the job are two different things. If I’m passionate about a particular script, I just might promote it without being asked, but on the business side of it, I’m not supposed to. What did you pay me for? Did you pay me to come and act in the movie? Or did you pay me to come and promote the movie?” he said.
He argued that promotion falls under the marketing team’s responsibility.
“That’s why there’s a marketing team for promotion. They have a budget. They budget for promotions and marketing. Do I get out of their cut? No. I only get paid to act. To be on set and play a character. That’s it.”
Seyi noted that if he truly enjoyed the project and held a significant role, promotion would feel natural. However, for smaller parts or modest pay, extra marketing work should come with compensation.
“If I’m not exactly the major character and was paid a meager amount, why wouldn’t you pay me to come and market the movie.”
On requests for additional content shoots after principal photography, he stressed the value of strong management. Producers sometimes avoid dealing with managers yet expect actors to meet their standards. Refusing unpaid promo can lead to being labelled difficult.
“If one producer says you’re difficult to work with, nobody would want to work with you.”
He questioned the fairness of the system when successful films generate big box-office returns.
“Let’s imagine a movie that goes on to do really well. Do they go back to pay the actors extra? … I don’t think so. I don’t even see royalty clauses in contracts.”
Seyi added that proper royalties would motivate organic promotion because actors would share in ongoing earnings.
Addressing why many actors avoid demanding such terms, he pointed to industry dynamics.
“It’s part of reasons producers can tag you as difficult. … As there’s a cabal in politics, there’s a cabal in the movie industry. They have groups that pass information among themselves. Most people play it safe half the time so they don’t offend some people, but then again, they keep selling themselves short.”
Seyi’s candid remarks have added fuel to long-standing conversations about fair compensation, residuals and professional boundaries in Nollywood.