I don’t need cheap publicity — Bill Asamoah

ACTOR Bill Asamoah is one of the most popular faces in the Akan movie industry, known as Kumawood. The handsome actor has been on our silver screens for more than a decade and is still in demand. In an interview with Showbiz on varied issues, Bill Asamoah discloses that the reason for his longevity is that he keeps his head down, does his work and doesn’t do cheap publicity.

“I love what I do and I do it for the passion, hence the reason I have been around for this long. Most of these young ones just want fame for their personal reasons but after the fame what else? I don’t need cheap publicity for anything,” he said.

According to Bill Asamoah, the unnecessary hype young actors were also pushing was a major reason why their careers didn’t seem to last.

“When I started acting, I did it with all the passion without even thinking about the money. With hard work, the money came automatically but that is not what we see now. Most of these young ones are doing anything for fame and when that happens, they fall off so quick,” he said.

Another thing Bill Asamoah said had helped him stay relevant for such a long time was that he was principled and disciplined. “I am disciplined when it comes to my job and every producer I have worked with can attest to that.

“I make sure I deliver what I am told to do and I execute it well. I always try my best to do what I know best and do it so well that producers don’t complain about it,” he stated.

Bill said the praise he got for his good acting made him want to do more. “There are so many actors in Ghana and for my name to be mentioned as one of the best always encourages me not to give up but go for gold,” he stated.

When asked his thoughts about the current state of our movie industry, Bill Asamoah said all was not lost but suggested a lot of cinemas should be built to show movies.

“A lot of producers want to shoot movies but where to premiere them is the problem. We have the Silverbird cinemas in Accra and that of Watch and Dine in Kumasi which are not enough for movie producers to make their money back,” he said.

He explained that if there were cinemas across the country, the industry would bounce back as he was in talks with a lot of investors who were ready to make big financial commitments into the arts.

Bill Asamoah, who has starred in over 200 movies, including Someone Call 911, Mild Attraction, Evil Plot, Ebe Sesa, Sika Ne Asumdwe, The Prince Desire, Pains Of True Love and The Story Of Our Love, told Showbiz he was happy to be appointed as one of the nation’s tourism ambassadors.

Last Saturday, the Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Actors Guild, led by Bill Asamoah, launched a campaign to support the inmates of the Edwenase Rehabilitation Centre in Kumasi.

source graphic showbiz