Award-winning actress Osas Ighodaro has shared a frank account of her first on-screen kiss in Nollywood, describing it as one of her earliest cultural surprises in the Nigerian film industry.
Ighodaro, who moved to Nigeria from the United States in 2012, recounted the experience on a recent episode of The Culture League podcast.
She explained that, while prepared for the kiss scene, the actor caught her off guard by attempting to use his tongue without prior discussion.“I knew the kiss was coming and was ready for it.
“But in my experience, you’re not meant to put your tongue in someone’s mouth. On a professional level, if you’re going to do an on-screen kiss with a fellow actor, you discuss it. If you plan to use your tongue, that must be agreed upon, too. In my case, none of that happened, and it truly shocked me,” she recalled.
Beyond her early industry experiences, the actress also discussed the challenges of handling public judgment and online criticism. Known for her commanding on-screen presence, Ighodaro admitted she is deeply sensitive and, for a long time, avoided blocking social media users who trolled her.
“As actresses, we put ourselves out there emotionally and give our all to the characters we play. I’m very sensitive, and I used to read comments left on my social media pages. Not long ago, I had to block a number of people. For me, that was new because I always wanted my fans to see me succeed and thrive,” she explained.
Reflecting on her personal journey, the actress shared that she struggled with low self-esteem while growing up, making her current confidence all the more valuable. “I really had low self-esteem as a child, so for people to try to tear me down, I had to protect myself. That’s why I finally started using the block button,” she said.