Nigerian actress Rita Dominic has disclosed that she is looking forward to seeing African actors earn royalties for their works.
Rita noted that although a lot of filmmakers are working hard in their various fields, what will make their lives better is royalties known in the film industry as residuals.
“It will be nice for actors in Africa to have their royalties so that people are not struggling when they get older, which has been the challenge in the industry for some old actors. They have been struggling financially and that shouldn’t be so,” Rita Dominic said.
“These are people who have done major films, been involved in major films and all that, and then all of a sudden when they are old, they are struggling financially. Meanwhile, their films are still being played on YouTube, on all these platforms and they are even getting royalties or getting monies from them,” she further added.
Most film industries in Africa bemoaned the lack of proper systems to get residuals from audio-visual content consumed by the public.
Residuals are financial compensations that are paid to the actors, film or television directors, and others involved in making TV shows and movies in cases of cable reruns, syndication, DVD release, or licensing to streaming media.
The actors guild in Nigeria always mentioned that from television airings to streaming, every new license should count as additional wages for them too. In Ghana, the Audiovisual Rights Society of Ghana (ARSOG) was also criticized for failing to equitably distribute residuals to its members.
However, Rita intimated that actors need to manage their finances well so that they don’t find themselves in hardship later on in life.
“Maybe some of us need to invest more, do more financial planning, and understand that the work will not always keep coming,” she further noted.
According to her, although some actors are pressured to spend a lot to keep up with their celebrity lifestyles, she always lived within her means.
“It is expensive as well, having to support the brand or the celebrity status which is why you have to know how to spend your money. I do not [feel pressured]. I am not one of those. I don’t feel pressured. Some do, which is why they feel the need to do other things to keep up their appearance,” she stated.
Rita, a colossus in the Nigerian film industry, was in Ghana as a speaker at the “Women of Valour” Summit organized by media personality Nana Aba Anamoah.
Other women who spoke at the event were Ghanaian film producer Shirley Frimpong-Manso, South African broadcaster, and actress Bonang Matheba.
Rita Dominic Talks About Fame
Rita Dominic noted that although fame offers opportunities for creative growth, it comes with challenges.
She elaborated on the complexities of being in the public eye, highlighting the constant scrutiny and criticism famous individuals endure.
“The fame is nice. It can open doors, it can do all sorts of pleasant things for you, but there are aspects of it I really don’t like…you can’t really be yourself sometimes. So that’s the part that I struggle with even after how many years, I still struggle with it a little bit. It gets better, yes over the years, but I still struggle with that scrutiny and those constant judgments,” Rita Dominic said.
The Nigerian actress revealed that additionally, some people cannot separate her from the roles she plays and these come with misunderstanding her character as a person.
Rita Dominic underscored the importance of characterizing herself from her on-screen personas to avoid misconceptions.
She noted that people “tend to think that I’m some of the characters in roles I play. I am not.”
Having earned acclaim as one of Nollywood’s finest actresses for decades, Rita Dominic also ventured into production. She helmed various projects, including “The Therapist,” “Light in the Dark,” “Bound,” “The Blindspot,” and “Desecration.”
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