Big Brother Naija reality TV star and actor, Boma Akpore, has ruled out playing gay characters in Nollywood films, saying such roles are among those he would not accept despite his willingness to explore different characters.
Akpore, who also serves as the Director of Communications of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, disclosed this during an interview on TheCable Lifestyle’s 2Kobo podcast, where he discussed his acting career, professional boundaries and experiences working in both Nollywood and Hollywood.
Asked about the kind of role he would not accept, the actor said, “Oh, you would not find me in a gay role. Thank you. I don’t do that. Nothing is wrong with it, but I wouldn’t do that. I don’t know; this is quite controversial.”
He also explained that he was cautious about accepting certain roles involving sexual violence, particularly in Nigerian productions, because audiences could sometimes struggle to separate fictional portrayals from reality.
He said, “There are some instances where they bring the script, and they are like, ‘You would forcefully hold the girl down,’ and I’m like, I don’t know if I want to play this role in Nigeria; the audience might sometimes forget that it is a film.”
Despite his reservations, Akpore maintained that he could portray virtually any character, citing his performance in This Is Not A Nollywood Movie, where he played a clown production manager, as an example of his versatility.
The actor, who trained at the New York Film Academy and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, also spoke about the differences between the Nigerian and American film industries, particularly their payment structures and welfare provisions for performers.
According to him, Hollywood has a more organised system that protects actors through overtime payments, health insurance, pensions and other benefits, unlike Nollywood, where actors can work extremely long hours without corresponding compensation.
Explaining the difference, he said, “Over there, after every 8 hours, it’s a day’s work, and after every eight hours, it goes into overtime. After 1o hours, it goes into double time, and when it gets to 16 hours, it gets to golden time.”
He added that his involvement with the Actors Guild of Nigeria was partly motivated by his desire to improve the welfare and working conditions of Nigerian actors.
Akpore said efforts were underway to establish stronger relationships with the American actors’ guild and explore ways of introducing better industry practices in Nigeria.
He also lamented the absence of a system that allows Nigerian actors to benefit financially from films long after their initial payments, noting that performers in more structured industries enjoy protections and continued support.
On his future projects, the actor disclosed that his film, Intensive Care Unit, had been selected for the Africa International Film Festival, while he was also working towards executive-producing his own project in 2027.
Reflecting on his participation in Big Brother Naija, Akpore said he had no regrets about joining the reality show, explaining that it gave him international visibility and helped advance his career.
He, however, argued that the programme’s appeal could be affected by the declining perception of success among former housemates, stressing that contestants must work hard after leaving the show to sustain their popularity.
On the possibility of venturing into politics, he said, “People say that, but they might kill me quickly. I wish we were all going into politics earlier on; it wouldn’t have been this bad because all of us run from it. It is a dirty game. But if we all run away, we are leaving it in the hands of people who are heartless.”
