Nollywood filmmaker Biodun Stephen has weighed in on the ongoing debate over ki§sing scenes in Nigerian movies, insisting that producers and directors should not be blamed for problems in actors’ marriages.
Reacting to comments that filmmakers should reduce ki§sing scenes because they could harm actors’ homes, Stephen said the responsibility lies with actors and their spouses, not producers.
She explained that while ki§sing is not a major part of her filmmaking style, she does not shy away from it if the story genuinely requires it.
“I think one of the things we are selling as actors on screen is believability. You’re selling an emotion, you’re selling chemistry, you want people to believe in this love,” she said, adding that such chemistry can be achieved “without intense ki§sing, and it can be done also with intense ki§sing.”
According to the filmmaker, actors willingly choose the profession, while their partners also understand the nature of the job.
“When you now begin to say things like, ‘the marriage, the home,’ I think that responsibility is on the actor who has chosen this profession, and also on the spouse of that actor… That responsibility is not my responsibility.”
Stephen revealed that she respects actors who decline ki§sing scenes for personal reasons and has often found ways to work around such requests. However, she stressed that others are comfortable with intimate scenes.
“My job as a producer/director is to protect the actor… But my job is not to break your home because that’s not on me. I did not put a gun to your head as an actor to work for me.”
Concluding, Stephen reiterated that filmmakers have a duty to ensure actors are portrayed respectfully on screen.
“Our job… is to protect them every time… I’ve never presented an actor on screen in a lurid way; they are always protected. That is my job. My job is not to salvage the marriage of the actor.”
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