"Sex for movie roles" - Producer blames Actresses

Ghanaian movie producer, David Owusu, has said young and wannabe actresses should be blamed for the existence of sex for movie roles in Ghana’s movie industry.

He argued that ladies are key players in curbing the practice but if it still exists then they are the best to blame.

According to him, they have the right to say no and everything ends there.

“I won’t deny that it doesn’t happen. It happens. I have evidence of mobile conversations where producers make that demand, but I will not blame any producer or director who does that. I blame the girls in question.

“Why because as a girl, you have your dignity to protect and it is you who go to see a producer and you know what you want. You go there and the person gives you a condition; it is up to you to say yes or no. If you say no and the person forces his way to sleep with you, that becomes rape.

“You have your right to go and report and have the person prosecuted. But in the case where you don’t do that, the person gives you the condition and you agree and the person sleeps with you and you come out to say before they give roles they do this thing; then it means you also accepted it. When it happens like that you cannot turn and blame the person who did that to you, once it wasn’t rape,” he said.

“I will only advise our girls that if you want to act and go to meet a producer and the person makes that demand, you have the will power to say no or I won’t, because it is not all the producers that will make such demands. Some of the producers are very clean,” he added.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with NEWS-ONE over the weekend, the CEO of Media5 Promotions described talks about sex for roles in the movie industry as tarnishing the image of all movie producers and directors, though not all of them are involved.

He denied indulging in such an activity and challenged any actress who disagrees with him to come out.

“I don’t think any girl anywhere would come out and say yes I went to David and I wanted to act and he requested to sleep with me before giving me a role. I don’t think so. I am challenging any girl who thinks that I have ever told her this to come out and say it,” he said.

“Likewise, I know some of my colleague producers that I can vouch for that have never given a condition to any girl. So if you go to a producer and the producer makes that demand leave him. Go to another producer.

Definitely by the time you get to about three or four producers, you have one who is so clean that will not make that demand. But in the case where you don’t do that and accept it, don’t go about tarnishing the image of all producers and directors that they sleep with actresses before giving them roles,” he cautioned.