My skin colour almost made me lose out of my 1st TV gig- Actress, Ireti Doyle
Patricia Uyeh
Nollywood actress, Ireti Doyle has come a long in the movie industry. Recounting her first television commercial gig, the beautiful actress said that she almost lost out because of her skin colour.
Thankfully, she was able to go past the challenge of meeting the client’s criteria for the commercial shoot with the help of her director
On Instagram, she wrote:
“I shot my 1st tv commercial over two decades ago. It was a major deal for an upcoming actor; for the visibility and the paycheck. I nearly lost that gig for being the wrong skin color. I didn’t match the client rep’s “ideal”.
” Thankfully, the director, Mr. Wale Fanu wasn’t a pushover. He told the chap to let him do his thing or take him off the project.
Fast forward 20yrs, “Melanin Poppin” has become a # and the dark-skinned girl is having her day in the sun.
Fast forward 20yrs, “Melanin Poppin” has become a # and the dark-skinned girl is having her day in the sun.
“It might take a little while longer, but eventually, it will be clear that “loud and obnoxious” is not quite the same as “bold and audacious”…And that being polite, soft-spoken and demure, is not “fake”; neither is it a “weakness”. @kelechiamadiobi (AMVCA 2016)”