Veteran actress Jumoke George has courageously revealed the difficult experiences with predatory behavior from certain figures in the film industry that led to her remarkable 14-year absence from acting.
Speaking with raw emotion, she recounted the painful events that shaped her career, her words filled with sorrow.
She vividly recalled times when influential directors pressured her to compromise her values for roles, challenging her integrity and testing her principles.
Jumoke George shared that her refusal to participate in the casting couch culture came at a heavy cost, nearly extinguishing her once-bright presence on the big screen for over a decade.
In a revealing interview on a recent episode of Oyinmomo TV, she opened up about the harsh realities she endured, shedding light on an industry where appearances and sexual favors often take precedence over talent.
Proud of her rich dark skin, Jumoke recalled how her decision to stand firm against the immoral expectations of some industry figures led to a prolonged hiatus. She described facing relentless criticism from directors who, instead of recognizing her talent, pressured her to bleach her skin to fit their narrow standards of beauty.
In her candid reflections, the 59-year-old recalled a chilling moment when a director bluntly informed her that she was being blacklisted due to her refusal to engage in sexual favors, using the graphic term “removal of pants” to illustrate the insidious demands she faced in the industry.
She said in parts;
“My skin tone was not the only setback I encountered in this business. The other reason why I did not get any roles or see the back of a lens for 14 years is because I refused to sleep around. For my skin tone, they complained that I was too dark and I would tell them to add my lightning to the scene to make me look lighter,” she said.
“You cannot push me into something I do not want to do. I will glow with this skin till old age and do not forget, black does not crack. I started having issues with getting roles when the executives wanted a relationship in exchange for it. The pressure was getting immense and it was more than 20 to 30 people.
“Another thing was that if you dated one of them, broke up, and went ahead to date someone else, they would discuss you among themselves. I said to myself that as long as God exists, I would not find myself in such a space. I had to do so to avoid becoming a pass-around among them”
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