Ghanaian actor and voice-over artiste, Andrew Tandoh-Adote, has revealed how he landed a role in the movie, Beasts of No Nation, explaining that he initially rejected the offer twice.

In an interview on Joy Prime’s Changes show, he said that he declined the opportunity because he did not understand the impact and significance of playing such a role.

He added that he was not concerned about the fame or money that could come from acting, and for that reason, he did not see the need to accept the role in the movie.

“I had been in Roverman for some time from 2008. Then in 2015, word started going around that there’s this international film and it’s going to involve some big names. So, myself and some people in the group went to the audition and it kind of fell apart so they sent somebody to do the auditions all over again and I went again for that one and then they said I have a part in it but the date that they had originally scheduled was scrubbed and it had begun to eat into the days for my rehearsals and we were very close to production. So, I got a call and they said I had a role and they needed me at some particular times and I said I can’t do it, they should find someone else because the days were too close.”

“That was the first rejection; I knew the movie would be big but I didn’t care. Then an American lady called me and said she heard that I said I can’t play the role and I said yes, I’m in rehearsals and the date won’t favour me so I’m afraid I can’t do it. The lady tried to convince me with things that would make a working actor excited and accept but I didn’t care. The thought of them going to pay me more didn’t occur to me and I didn’t care. I was there again and some Ghanaians who were part of the crew called and said the director himself instructed that they should get me in the movie at all cost.”

In all of that, he was not pompous in rejecting the movie offer; he simply thought the role he was given during the audition was not significant enough for him to be needed in the film.

“My audition was simply to act by looking at Abraham passing and act like he looks familiar but I’m not sure. So I was supposed to communicate that with my facial expression. So I thought the role that I’m playing it is not like I have some serious role that I was going to show off my acting skills. I though anybody can do what I did so I didn’t think it was that important that’s why I rejected it twice.”

He eventually sought the opinion of the CEO of Roverman Productions, Ebo Whyte, on whether he should consider the offer or not. After receiving advice from his boss, he accepted the role and was transported by a van provided by the Beasts of No Nation team to attend rehearsals.

Although the payment at the time was reasonable, Mr. Tandoh-Adote believes he could have negotiated a better deal. However, he admits that he was not business-minded about his talent back then.

As a result, the actor has resolved to promote himself more and learn about personal branding, capitalizing on social media to better position himself for potential clients and brand partnerships.