Actor Genevieve Nnaji has revealed the reason behind her decision to turn down the opportunity of joining American film industry, Hollywood.

The Lion Heart actor said her belief in the ability of Nollywood to rival Hollywood meant she did not consider quitting Nigeria for the US.

During a panel discussion at the 2024 AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum/Afreximbank Annual Meetings, the thespian said she decided to contribute and make Nollywood match up to Hollywood standards.

 “I could have gone to Hollywood a long time if I wanted to,” the legendary actor said.

“But I had a dream to build an industry in Nigeria that could rival it. That’s because I’ve always believed in that.

“I have always believed that we were capable of actually owning an industry like that that told our story for our people. I wanted that.

“I respect what Hollywood is doing. I respect what Bollywood is doing, and I felt like Nollywood had an equal chance at it.”

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Genevieve also expressed dismay at being treated like a commodity in Hollywood after her 2018 film, Lion Heart, became a huge success.

Rumours said the movie was acquired by Netflix for $3.8 million, and this has not been refuted by Genevieve or the streaming giants.

“For the first time, I realised I was a commodity. I thought, you know, given what I had done with Lion Heart and all of that, I was going to have an opportunity to do more… That was not quite the case,” she lamented.

“They wanted what I had, but for their benefit. It was all about their story.

“It was all about how, even if it was our story, I could make it more authentic to their own understanding of whatever Africa is because they did have a lot of literature in their archives.”

Fans are eagerly anticipating her next production.