Media personality Emma Ugolee has voiced his frustration over an unspoken but widely practiced trend in Nollywood casting actors based on their social media following instead of their acting talent.

In a detailed Instagram post on Wednesday, August 6, Ugolee criticized the system, which he says undermines the essence of true acting.

He cited the example of two lead actors from the trending To Kill a Monkey series, Bucci Franklin and William Chinoyenem, who have a combined following of just under 380,000. Despite their exceptional skills and professionalism, they receive limited recognition because they lack a massive online presence.

Ugolee explained that these actors prefer privacy over online drama and avoid engaging in controversies or sensational content qualities that have ironically limited their visibility in today’s follower-driven industry.

To illustrate the contrast, he mentioned internet sensation Egungun, who has over 2 million followers thanks to his street interviews, which often include provocative or sexually charged content. Ugolee clarified that while Egungun’s success is valid in his space, it highlights the shallow expectations Nollywood now places on serious actors.

Ugolee wrote:

*”Did you know that there is a currently practised unwritten Nollywood rule that should be dead already for how much it sucks?

Actors have been getting roles on the basis of the social media following that they command, as this is considered vital for a successful publicity of the movie.

I tried to capture everything wrong with it, with the pictures above.

In the first two slides, you will probably notice that the two lead actors from the trending To Kill a Monkey series have a collective following of almost 380k.

They are certified by both male and female fanbases to be exceptionally great at their craft, containing both the gift and the training to act. True professionals.

The ironic reflection of numbers is due to poor ability to deliver on public scandals, entertain with their real lives, and engage in public interaction at the cost of privacy.

They need to be rich at frivolity, overly socialise, dare with nudity, be beef-prone with colleagues, controversial, materialistic and engage in other dramas generally unrelated to acting.

The 3rd slide is an internet sensation who embodies understanding what it takes to be followed on these streets and all he needs is one mic.

One mic to ask people on the streets the cost of what they are wearing or driving when he meets them.

With ladies, he has trademark requests that they show how wiggly & wobbly both their mammary glands and butt cheeks can be, reveal favourite sex positions, repeat words after him and replay the sounds they make in the bedroom.

For that, he has a faithful 2M followers and counting.

This is in no way to make fun of what he’s doing, but to show you exactly what it takes to get the engagement Nollywood is asking of these professional actors as tickets to get acting gigs.

This is unfair to actors. Believe it or not, there are actually some actors who just want to act without being popular. Stop putting pressure on them to meet your criteria for public following.

They might have everything it takes to kill the role and nothing it takes to impress fickle-minded people en masse daily.

Shout out to directors who ignore this rule while casting.”*

Ugolee concluded by urging filmmakers to prioritize genuine talent over social media numbers, emphasizing that some actors simply want to act without being forced into online popularity contests.

See post below: