Idia Aisien, the fast-rising Nigerian actress, has lamented the negative criticism she got for her role in the remake of “Nneka the Pretty Serpent.”
She stated that she was criticized for not being Igbo and light-skinned in her debut role in the movie.
The 1994 horror-mystery classic was remade in December 2020 with Aisien playing the lead role alongside Bovi Ugboma, Bimbo Ademoye, Zack Orji, Shaffy Bello, Beverly Osu and Ndidi Obi.
She explained the Nigerian audience left her heartbroken with their criticism as they expressed disappointment for having to see a dark-skinned, non-Igbo lady play the role of Nneka which was originally acted by a light-skinned, Igbo Nollywood veteran, Ndidi Obi.
However, the Nigerian-Cameroonian noted she was highly compensated by the positive reviews that her role in the movie attracted from the international scene.
Speaking in an interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, the 31-year-old movie star said: “When it first came out in the cinemas, I was a little bit heartbroken by some of the comments that people were leaving.
“Comments about me not being light-skinned or Igbo, about me destroying what meant something to a lot of Nigerians. Nigerians loved their veteran actors. They love their Nollywood classics.
“So, it was something that I just wished people could see how much passion went into it at the time.
“But, with the international market, and the kind of feedback we are getting, I am getting messages from the Philippines, French Guiana, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Los Angeles.
“I was hurt at first because Nneka is a fictional character and anyone could bring something different to the character but I don’t think that tribe and skin colour should matter.
“I mean, Black Panther was Americans pretending like they are in Africa. A lot of people who criticised it (the film- Nneka the pretty serpent), criticised it because of the choice of Nneka, which broke my heart.
“When Nneka came out, some were like, ‘we heard Idia killed it o’. This very famous female said, ‘abeg, I am sure she paid for that job’.
“She saw me recently and was nice to me. She said she finally watched it, and it was great, but you know when you hear stuff, it’s like, ‘do I take the one I heard you say’. or ‘do I take how you feel now that you have watched it’. This is why it is important to give people a chance.”