Maryam Charles, an actress and filmmaker, is of the opinion that Big Brother Naija housemates don’t have to act immorally for them to succeed on the show and beyond.
Reacting to people who see the show as immoral, Charles told Saturday Beats, “There are two sides to that question. If you think it is immoral, you are also forgetting that the show literally changes the lives of those that take part in it. It gives them a better life and opportunities to become wealthy. And, it does that in a short while. That alone, for me, makes it important. However, I know for a fact that housemates do not have to do immoral things to make it. If that’s why some people are saying the show is immoral, then I understand. Housemates can get carried away and forget their home training.”
Charles, who had taken to her social media pages to criticize a married female housemate, Tega, for some of actions on the show, noted that married people should not take part in the show.
She said, “It is like walking into temptation. As someone who is married, you shouldn’t knowingly walk into temptation. The environment of the show can test one in ways that one did not know one could be tested. The best thing is to stay off and watch from home.”
The actress also stated that society was being hypocritical by coming hard against married women that misbehaved on the show, while not doing the same for married men caught in the same acts.
She added, “It is hypocrisy and it points to a larger problem in society. Women are expected to toe the line and be prim and proper at all times as if we are not human beings. It is total rubbish.”
Charles also noted that as a married woman, there was a limit to how far she could go in movies. She said, “Acting nude is a no-no. Kissing too, if it must be done, has to be in moderation. I am an African woman. My profession shouldn’t affect my values.”