First of all, let me make it clear that I respect both Martha Ankomah and Lydia Forson for their talent—therefore using their unfortunate situations as a case study does not have any element of contempt.
I met Martha Ankomah somewhere last year at Alisa Hotel, Accra and she was full of positive energy and smiles. Similarly, Lydia Forson has a great personality and an extensive realistic view on several world issues, though some are unnecessarily entrenched. I have had some great conversations with her in the past and as a Nigerian will say ‘I respect her hustle’.
Now that the above has been made clear, let’s look at how our actors/actresses can make the best out of their talent, passion and craft without falling into the African disease pot of “being everywhere but known for nothing great”.
The Over-commercialization of Martha Ankomah Being a Taint on Her Talent
If you’ve seen any of Martha Ankomah’s movies, you would notice that despite the fact that she is always surrounded by several talentless actors/actresses, her raw excellence consistently stands out.
Martha Ankomah is a great actress at the raw state and needed rough edge touches by some of the great Directors who have clear understanding of film-making but she couldn’t wait for this to happen. She couldn’t say ‘NO’ to some of the most senseless scripts and literally took up every offer that came her way.
We are seeing the end result today, which is; Martha Ankomah has countless movies to her but none does justice to her immense talent. She is not regarded in any different light; she is just like the many ‘can’t act’ actresses we see on our screens daily.
Over-commercialization has killed her talent, vision and the chance of becoming one of Ghana’s greatest.
I am sure she has over 100 movies to her name but which one can we remember as a great piece?
If you want to be known as a great actor/actress, don’t buy into the over-commercialization doctrine.
How to Avoid Martha Ankomah’s Mistake of Over-Commercialization
Interestingly, it is only in Ghana, perhaps in Nigeria too that rising or even established actors and actresses do not have other jobs.
We are so deluded to the extent that the moment someone is given a cameo role in a movie, the person over-burdens herself/himself as a wealthy celebrity—-and therefore cannot work anywhere. To make the matter worse, such people hire managers, publicists and others when they do not have any stream of income and cannot afford the lifestyle they build around themselves.
Out here in the United Kingdom, I know several ‘wannabe top actors/actresses’ who have been featured in some great movies and yet, they have normal jobs which bring in the monthly income while chasing their acting dreams. This way, they are able to say no to scripts and offers which will not add any meaning to their talent but rather push them into the pool of failed actors.
Forget the celebrity nonsense and protect your talent.
Let me add that, I’ve helped in creating this celebrity nonsense in Ghana, but I respect talent than the existing hopeless hype, and I believe every reasonable person does too. Nothing stops you from getting a regular job while waiting and searching around for the best productions to be part of…
The key to being known for great movies is to be able to say no to the ‘chaff’ ones and to be able to do this; you must not be desperate for the fame or the money. You must have other source of income, and by this, I do not mean sleeping with someone’s wife or husband. I mean having a goddamn job…
Few weeks ago, I had the privilege to be part of the audience at the recording of Jonathan Ross Show at the ITV London studios. And two of the Show’s guests, actor-Liam Neeson and Oscar Award winner-Goldie Hawn spoke about how things started for their careers. According to Liam Neeson, while chasing his dream as an actor, he was still working at a Guinness factory in Ireland (even after he had been featured in several paid productions).
They all maintained a job for their necessary upkeep but also, to make sure they were able to sieve the good scripts from the bad without any monetary pressure to go in for whatever offers that came their way.
Sadly, Martha Ankomah could not avoid this but if you want to rise to the top, learn from her mistake.
Who said you are a celebrity so you can’t have a job? What is important to you—-some illusory status or your talent and future?
Now Don’t Make the ‘Lydia Forson Mistake’
Lydia Forson started on a good note and I can say, she was part of the reshaping of the new Ghanaian Movie Industry. From Shirley Frimpong Manso’s Perfect Picture to Scorned and then a Sting in a Tale, Lydia Forson’s talent was being given a deserving platform to grow…
But then, something must have happened and today, she is no where to be found in some of our greatest movies. Some of the great scripts and productions are passing her despite her talent.
I do not know what happened between Lydia Forson and Sparrow Productions but considering the fact that she was in Sparrow’s 3 great movies on a roll—and now can’t be found in anywhere despite her talent, I am sure there was a professional cut off somewhere.
What I call the ‘Lydia Forson’ mistake is that, even if you have thousand boxes packed with unseen skills and talent, keep a professional relationship with those that matter in the game. You do not have to butt-kiss anyone but you have to maintain a healthy relationship with those who call the shots.
In an industry like ours where many people are championing talent destructions with only a few being able to bring the best out of actors, you need to be part of the winning team.
Do not fight those who hold the helping keys to nurturing your dreams, rather work alongside them to realize your dreams and bring out the greatness in you.
Think about it this way, at the end of the day who is losing out more? Sparrow productions or Lydia Forson?
Why would you want to make such a mistake and put your talent on a hiatus?
As an actor/actress who wants to be known for greatness, you have to be firm with your standards and demands but don’t break great unions between your talent and a good production company.
Embrace Training & Re-training
As I mentioned in one of my articles, instead of wasting your money on unnecessary trips abroad, long expensive weave, fake designer bags and clothes so you can show off on Instagram and Facebook, push the little money you have towards your talent and career progressive.
Make it a challenge to be ahead of the others by seeking constant training to alter, reshape and build on your talent.
It doesn’t have to a 3 year film or acting course in an expensive institution, a weekend seminar, a summer course, a week symposia and others can all help bring the best out of you. This will also put you on a higher ladder compared to your colleagues.
Make yourself attractive to production houses by giving your talent the needed improvement.
And above all, maintain a healthy relationship with the blogs because no one wants a person with countless bad publicity on their great production.
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