In a recent interview with Joy 99.7 FM in Ghana, Nollywood star Rita Dominic shared that she received a payment of N10,000 for her debut film role.
Reflecting on her early days in the industry, Dominic highlighted that during that time, Nollywood was not a lucrative field, but her passion for acting drove her forward.
According to Dominic, she and her colleagues pursued acting purely out of love for the craft, stating, “I just wanted to be an actor. And to be honest, there was no money in Nollywood back then. We were just doing it for the passion. We have the passion for the art which was what fuelled us.”
She emphasized the challenging nature of the industry in its formative years, noting that despite the initial financial struggles, they persevered until the industry began to flourish, leading to better compensation for actors.
When questioned about the lowest pay she had ever received for a role, Dominic humorously recalled her first film experience, stating, “The first film I did, the filmmaker paid me N35,000. But he owed me N25,000 for how many months. In fact, he didn’t even pay me the balance. He paid me only N10,000 [laughs].”