The practice of sex for roles is one that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon and veteran Kumawood actress Oheneyere Mercy Asiedu has added her voice to those calling on up and coming actors to desist from it.
For Oheneyere Mercy Asiedu, sleeping with producers and directors won’t make one a star so the young ones, especially those who are bent on walking that path should put a stop to it.
Speaking with the Graphic Showbiz from her Kumasi base, Oheneyere Mercy said, “To be a star is not easy, it is not something you rush for, it is God’s favor that can take you there. It is not true that you have to sleep with someone to become a star.”
“Throughout my career, no one slept with me, it is Miracle Films which discovered me from Concert Party. Oftentimes, some of the young ones believe they have to sleep with producers and directors to become stars but there are some who slept with these producers and we didn’t see their stardom.”
“If you ask for God’s favor and you are really interested and work hard, God’s favor will be upon you and you will become a star. With patience and humility, you will get there. The stars you see today did not become so overnight, it is many years of hard work and dedication so be patient, work hard and seek the face of God and at the appointed time, you will get there,” she advised.
Oheneyere Mercy Asiedu has been in the movie industry for more than 20 years. She told the Graphic Showbiz she started her acting career on stage with Concert Party.
“I started Concert Party in 1991 with the Kristo Asafo Concert Party and started doing movies in 2000, it was Miracle Films’ Samuel Nyamekye who introduced me to movies and there has been no turning back since then.”
Touching on some of the challenges that came with her chosen career, Mercy Asiedu mentioned lack of privacy. “You cease to have your privacy once you become a star, if you are unfortunate and some negative news breaks about you, it spreads like wildfire and everyone says what they want about you.”
“The worst offenders are the bloggers, they put things on social media without cross-checking and before you realize, it has gone viral. This is one major challenge I can point out,” she said.
She opines that technology has caused the decline of the movie industry. “Back in the day, we used to shoot movies and put them on CDs for sale but that practice is now a thing of the past. It is now social media, YouTube and the likes. I believe that when we develop apps where people can pay a token and watch movies, it will go a long way to help.”
“These days, we don’t do movie premieres because of the coronavirus pandemic but people go to church, don’t they? We should take another look at some of these things and the government should intervene to make the industry bounce back,” she stated.
When the Graphic Showbiz asked Mercy’s view on the criticism that there was too much insults in Kumawood movies, this was what she had to say, “I don’t agree because I, for instance, don’t insult when I am acting. If I have to insult someone in a movie, I look for alternative words to use that will still send the message across so I don’t quite agree with you on that one”.
On what she is currently working on, Mercy Asiedu said she just finished shooting a new series Amamre ne Amanie which is currently showing on Adom TV from Mondays to Thursdays at 3 p.m. and repeated at 9 p.m.
Away from her career, we delved into marriage and asked her how married life is treating her. “By God’s grace everything is on point and I am really enjoying my marriage. My husband and I celebrated ‘100 years’ on May 9 (they both turned 50 years) and we are grateful to God for this golden age.
