Nollywood atress Angel Unigwe has denied the claim made by legendary actress Kanayo O Kanayo that she breached their contract.
On June 21, Kanayo made accusations against the teenage actress, saying that she had signed a contract with him for a production in which she was cast.
Additionally, he asserted that Unigwe’s mother had a reputation for breaking acting contracts by removing her daughter off sets too soon.
As a result, a furious Kanayo swore in a monologue to sabotage any Unigwe-related movie project.
He mentioned a set that was supposed to close at midnight according to the contract, but the teenage girl was escorted off it at nine o’clock.
According to Kanayo, he decided to halt Unigwe-related movie projects in order to “save and protect” Nigeria’s film industry.
But in a statement, Juliet Kings, Unigwe’s manager, said Kanayo’s allegations of contract breach are “false and slanderous”.
The manager clarified that the actress left the set after performing her duty as her agreement with the filmmaker was for a 9 pm wrap-up.
“First, we wish to state categorically and for the public record that, as professionals, we hold sacred the terms of any contract we enter into and we are fully committed to performing all lawful obligations required of us under such contracts and as such,” the manager said.
“We vehemently deny the false accusations and slanderous statements contained in Mr. Kanayo’s video. We want to assure the public that we have done no such thing and are deeply hurt by these unfounded allegations.
“Between the 17th of June 2024 and the 19th of June 2024, Miss Unigwe participated in a film project under clear and agreed terms, most important of all being a daily wrap time of 9 pm.
“Despite our concerns about the feasibility of filming 57 scenes in 3 days, we proceeded based on the assurances we received from [him] and his director Ndifreke Matthew that the three-day period would be sufficient for shooting.
“[We agreed] that the talent’s shooting time of 12 hours starting from 9 am to 9 pm is acceptable to them. Moreso, there will be no extension considering her prior engagement.
“On the final day, despite the agreed terms regarding the wrap-up time of 9 pm, we accommodated an additional 45-50 minutes of filming beyond the agreed time out of the spirit of goodwill and understanding that had existed between us, Mr. Kanayo, and the film director.
“Upon completion of the shoot, we left the location without protest from the director or the production manager Cosmos Nwaihe, having performed our obligations.”
According to Kings, Kanayo’s allegations amount to “gender-based oppression” and “cyberbullying,” which have put the actress through “emotional distress.”
The management demanded that security services step in and ensure Unigwe’s safety, stating that legal action had been taken.
