Veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor has revealed why her colleagues ask for public assistance when battling with an illness.
She revealed that actors are paid well but often resolve to seek help from the public when sick because of the expensive lifestyles their careers demand them to indulge in that makes it difficult for them to save enough money.
She also stated that there is an intense financial pressure on actors from family members and acquaintances who assume they are extremely rich because they are on TVs.
The legendary thespian said that actors no longer make money when they are sick, hence, the resort to seek public assistance to pay their medical bills.
Ozokwor said this in a recent interview of which a clip was shared on Tiktok by KWS Nigeria.
She said, “Some of us [actors] are paid well but before this sickness get, nobody helps you because everybody feels you’ve a lot of money. And you’re managing it [sickness] with your family. Also nobody pays you anymore when you’re on that sick bed. Because it’s when you’re healthy that you can be shooting movies and getting money. The illness has kept you out for a long time and the money you saved has been exhausted.
“And you know, because of the nature of our job, we are heavy-spenders. The clothes you wear matters to the world. We call it packing. The way you packaged yourself. The worst is that you can’t even repeat your expensive clothes. These are the things that make us spend a lot of money. And then people pounce on you, they feel you’ve a lot of money because they see your face everywhere. I know how many people that have come to this house today to ask for help.”
