By Rita Okoye
Award-winning actress Osas Ighodaro has shared a candid account of her first on-screen kiss in Nollywood, describing it as one of her earliest cultural shocks in the Nigerian film industry.
Ighodaro, who relocated to Nigeria from the United States in 2012, revealed the experience during a recent episode of The Culture League podcast.
According to her, while she was prepared for the kiss scene, the actor involved took her by surprise by attempting to use his tongue without prior discussion.
“I knew the kiss was coming and was ready for it. But in my experience, you are not supposed to put your tongue in somebody’s mouth. On a professional level, if you’re going to do an on-screen kiss with a fellow actor, you talk about it. If you plan to use your tongue, that too must be discussed. In my case, none of that happened, and it really shocked me,” she recalled.
Beyond her early industry encounters, the actress also spoke about the challenges of dealing with public judgment and online criticism. Known for her strong on-screen presence, Ighodaro admitted that she is deeply sensitive and, for a long time, refrained from blocking social media users who trolled her.
“As actresses, we put ourselves out there emotionally and give our all in the characters we play. I am very sensitive, and I used to read comments dropped on my social media pages. Not too long ago, I had to block so many people. For me, that was new because I always wanted my fans to see me win and shine,” she explained.
Reflecting on her personal journey, the actress added that she battled low self-esteem while growing up, which makes her current confidence all the more precious. “I really had low self-esteem while growing up, so, for people to try to break me down, I had to protect myself. That’s why I finally made use of the block button,” she said.
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