A popular Akan/Twi movie actress, Nana Yaa Appiah, has told NEWS-ONE that combining her active Christian lifestyle and acting career has been a major challenge for her.
“I cannot play certain roles and have had to reject many scripts because my pastor does not like to see my buttocks or breasts, not even a small part of it in movies. He would get angry because it is against the teachings of my church.
I attend the Open Bible Faith Ministry at Atonsu and as you can see, I can’t even pierce my ears more than double. I sing at church and I am bound to be a role model,” Nana Yaa noted.Interestingly Nana Yaa is a very pretty lady with well rounded curves that could raise eyebrows if exposed in movies. She is tall and light-skinned, has an infectious smile and the type of body that could excite any right-thinking adult male. Nana Yaa admitted that the job of an actress has become very competitive and her selective attitude puts her at a disadvantage, but she does not have a choice because she is a practicing Christian and would have to abide by the teachings of her church and her pastor.
Asked if her church does not know she needs to work to get money to pay her tithes and offering, Nana Yaa said her choice of career is not motivated by money. “Acting movies in Ghana is not all about making money. The movies for which I was paid very small monies have rather helped me enter places I could not have entered. It has opened doors for me. So sometimes, you consider some of these things rather than focus on money for now… there was a time a family invited me to spend holidays with them in Europe simply because they love the way I act,” she stated.
Nana Yaa emerged on the Akan/Twi movie scenes in 2009 and with support from Samuel Akwesi Nyamekye of Miracle Films, she has since acted in some 70 movies. Though she started mostly by playing the role of a pastor’s wife, Nana Yaa later switched to other roles which have earned her numerous accolades including Osofo Maame, Dede, Mama G and Lady Posh.