A Director Told Me I Was Too Ugly To Make It So I Went And Learned Makeup Under Gabazzini -Usman

Uzee Usman, the award-winning actor and filmmaker, has recalled how a prominent Nollywood director once told him he would never succeed because of his looks. Speaking on the UnlimitedOne show, Usman said the rejection came during an audition at the National Theatre in 2003. He chose not to name the director, though he confirmed the same man has since directed a series for him.

“He looked at me and said, ‘You will never make it in this industry. You don’t have the personality. You are too ugly.’ So that’s what he told me. He said it like a joke, but I took it in,” Usman said.

He continued: “He told me, ‘Just go and learn something behind this camera, behind the scene. Just go and assist somebody.’ So then Gabazzini is one of the biggest makeup artists in Nollywood. I approached him and said, ‘I want to learn makeup.’ He said, ‘No problem.’”

Rather than letting the rejection crush him, Usman trained under Gabazzini from 2003 to 2005 and later went to South Africa to study special effects. He returned to become one of the most sought-after makeup artists in the country…....