Auntie B has revealed in a candid interview with Nana Romeo on Accra FM that her dedication to acting cost her the opportunity to have children and financial stability.
Despite her iconic roles in the Keysoap Concert Party and Efiewura, she admitted that her single-minded focus on acting left her with nothing but fame, and not the wealth she had hoped for.
She lamented that even as the industry became more profitable, she struggled to find work and was not as popular as before.
She observed that while theatre offered plenty of opportunities, it did not bring in much money, and it was only those who quickly gained favour with producers in the film industry who were able to make a substantial income and acquire property.
“Since childhood, I’ve loved acting and working in film so much that I didn’t learn any other trade or craft.
“I couldn’t even concentrate on having children for the same reason. I was totally in love with acting. I learned to do nothing else. I’ve now come to understand the proverb: ‘Nothing is permanent.
If I were back to my younger years, I would learn to do 10 different things or get involved in many ventures so it would profit me. We all started with [Key Soap] Concert Party,” a comic theatre show which toured the country and appeared on TV.
She highlighted that the Concert Party tour “took us to many towns and villages” where it was common to stay and work for many days, making it difficult to save sometimes.
“Acting could take us to a place, and while there, we would be hit by economic hardships. You’d come home with little or nothing and find yourself depending on the little you had at home.
“The only pleasure for us and even those before us was the opportunity to travel about and work a little to feed ourselves. When the industry became lucrative, we are not as popular as before to be booked.
“At first, theatre offered an abundance of work but not much money. Then came film. Even then, those who made money and acquired properties, per my observation, were those who advanced swiftly through the favour of producers.
“There are those who inherited family properties, came from well-to-do homes, or were combining acting with other businesses as well.”
When asked, Auntie Bee seemed to struggle to mention what she gained from acting.
“It was even football that took me abroad. Often, for movies, I was sidelined for international opportunities even though my name was on the list,” she said.
“It’s only fame that I got out of acting. I am recognized wherever I go. Acting did not give me marriage. Acting gave me nothing except a little money to spend with my children. Nothing. Well, the car I use up to today is what Rev Obofour or Nii Adotey Gyata gave me for my acting when I went to visit him.”
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