Nollywood filmmaker Biodun Stephen has addressed the ongoing debate surrounding kissing scenes in Nigerian movies, saying producers and directors should not be held responsible for protecting actors’ marriages. According to the award-winning filmmaker, actors and their spouses are fully aware of the demands of the profession and should take responsibility for managing their relationships.
Speaking during an interview, Stephen said she does not make kissing scenes a major part of her films but will include them if they are necessary to tell a story convincingly.
She said, “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.”
According to her, convincing chemistry between actors can be achieved “without intense ki§sing, and it can be done also with intense ki§sing.”
Reacting to claims that filmmakers should reduce intimate scenes to protect actors’ homes, Stephen insisted the responsibility does not lie with producers.
She said, “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.”
The filmmaker revealed that she respects actors who refuse to perform kissing scenes because of their personal or religious beliefs and has often adjusted scripts to accommodate them. However, she noted that other actors are comfortable performing such scenes.
She explained, “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.”
Reiterating her position, Stephen said filmmakers have a duty to ensure actors are portrayed with dignity but should not be blamed for issues that arise in their personal relationships.
She concluded, “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.”
