Emeka Okoye, the Nigerian actor and producer, has opened up about being repeatedly denied roles throughout his career due to his body size.
In an interview on Nollywood On Radio, the actor recounted how producers have consistently sidelined him for being either “too slim” or “too fat”.
He revealed that this pattern began early in his career when, despite his talent and a slimmer physique, he was praised in auditions but never cast.
“I have been told I’m fat, and I have even lost roles because of that. Some people say I’m not fine or that I won’t fit a character because I have a stomach,” he said.
“But even when I was slimmer and younger, I still didn’t get roles. A lot of producers knew me when I was slim. They would use me to audition people and give them scripts, and they would tell me I was good but that they didn’t have a role that fit me because I was too slim.
“Bukky Thomas can testify; I had that experience many times. Everywhere I auditioned, they would use me to test other actors, but they wouldn’t cast me.”
The actor stated that the bias has shifted as his body has changed. He added that, now that he is “a bit chubby,” he finds himself stereotyped and overlooked for a diverse range of characters.
“And now that I’m a bit chubby and I have a stomach, they are giving me roles like uncle, landlord or husband,” he said.
“Some producers even stopped giving me ‘bad boy’ roles because they assume I won’t be able to interpret the character, but they will be shocked when they see my upcoming movies.”
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