Akofa Edjeani
Veteran actress, Akofa Edjeani, has come forward with shocking allegations of losing a movie role due to her refusal to engage in a sexual relationship with a film director.
Edjeani’s courage to speak out was to shed light on the persistent issue of exploitation and harassment within the entertainment industry.
“I remember we were shooting somewhere after Kumasi, I think. Unfortunately, the producer was a Nigerian. We were going to shoot two movies back to back. So based on that, the executive producer had begged me to bring my rates down, that because we were doing two movies he would pay a certain amount, which reluctantly I agreed to,” she said in an interview on Joy FM‘s Showbiz A-Z show.
“Now here is the director who asked me to come to his room. I said, ‘come to your room and do what?’ He said, ‘to watch a movie’. I said, ‘watch what movie? I mean come on, whatever you want to tell me, I don’t need to come to your room’. He wanted something else. I said, ‘like seriously? Are you serious’,” she continued.
Edjeani explained that her refusal to comply with the director’s advances led to her exclusion from the second movie.
“I didn’t go to his room and guess what, that cost me the next movie,” she added.
Despite confronting the executive producer about the situation, Edjeani was informed that the director was solely responsible for casting decisions.
Throughout her illustrious career, Edjeani has remained steadfast in her principles, refusing to compromise her integrity for the sake of a role. “I have always believed in my talent, a reason I have never give in to any sexual demands for movie roles,” she affirmed.
In light of her experience, Edjeani offered words of encouragement to aspiring young women entering the industry, urging them to believe in their abilities and resist exploitation.