Pascaline Edwards: Acting is a ‘hand to mouth hustle’; add a side gig

Veteran Ghanaian actress Pascaline Edwards has advised young people in the acting or movie industry to complement it with side jobs.

She said that the acting business is a hand-to-mouth job and does not pay much.“If you have to sell groundnut and maize as your regular day job, do that and add the acting as your side hustle because it’s really a hand-to-mouth industry.”

She also asserted that anyone who claims to have made a fortune from acting in Ghana is not telling the truth.

“Whoever in the industry says they’ve made a fortune from making movies is a liar,” she said.

The award-winning movie star said this on Accra-based Onua FM’s programme Adwuma Adwuma.

Now a fashion designer, Ms. Edwards stressed that acting as a sole source of income, brand endorsements, and other deals aside, is inadequate for the acquisition of a house or even starting a business.

She admitted that acting will give one visibility and celebrity status, however.

“The movie industry propels you to a certain level. It gives you a brand. You may get brand ambassadorial deals and endorsement [deals] which can be lucrative but the income from the movies is inadequate,” she said.

She decried the failure of production houses and filmmakers to pay talents their due and cited that the national broadcaster Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) owes her money.

“GBC still owes me 5000 cedis [old currency],  the actress with over three decades’ worth of experience indicated.

Pascaline Edwards was recognized as Ghana’s Best Female Actress in 2002.

She made a name on the screen and on stage, often playing the role of a sassy diva.