Top Ghanaian actor, Van Vicker has advised movie producers to desist from demanding favours from actors and actresses. He says it is “unfair” for producers to refuse payment to actors on the basis that they mold them into the field of movie acting.

Van Vicker made these observations when he appeared on e.tv Ghana’s flagship programme, Awake Thursday morning. He was speaking on the sidelines of his new movie production, Hands of Time, scheduled to be premiered at the Silverbird Cinema in Accra on Friday, August 2.

Expressing his thoughts further on the manner in which movie producers take advantage of actors, Van said “I give some favors out there. Let’s say the guy who probably directed my first movie or the one who gave me my first opportunity. But you can’t continue to do that because at the end of the day you have bills to pay and that’s something a little wrong if some producers are still doing it.”

He also had a word of advice for his colleague actors and actresses as well as upcoming ones.

“No one makes anyone its God. We are God’s vessel and nobody should take credit for that. You can do one time favour but it shouldn’t be continuous,” he said.

The 35-year old also dismissed rumors that he has settled in Nigeria: “It’s absolutely not true. I haven’t moved to Nigeria. I reside in Ghana, I live here. I went out there to do a few jobs. But the whole idea is to take my brand; the Van Vicker brand global. It’s not about wanting to be out there for being there sake.”

When host Rashida Nasamu probed further stating that news had it that his managers had pushed him to Nigeria because Ghanaian producers couldn’t pay him, the one-time Afro-Hollywood Award winner stressed that, “It’s so not true. I don’t know where you heard or read that. I prefer to work where I have a good script and where it will take me.”

Nevertheless, he didn’t refute the fact that Nigerian producers pay more than Ghanaian producers.

He stated: “It’s all about the industry and how booming it’s going because if we are here and the industry is booming, you expect to be paid more because our producers will be producing more due to demand. But if the industry is still taking baby steps then obviously, we all have to be considerate. I can tell you for a fact that fees that actors and actresses where taking some two to three years back is not the same now. It’s gone up.

Van Vicker has been in several movie productions since the last decade. He has also produced some movies such as Friday Night and Raj which were released in 2008 and 2010 respectively.

Van, who directed and took a role in his latest movie, stated that his latest movie, Hands of Time, attests that taking two roles is a really “tough” venture.

“But I think I have been preparing for this. It’s not the first time but I think I have mature; I’ve grown into it so it wasn’t as bad as my first attempt. I want to believe that probably my next movie that will be shot in August and November will make me even more experienced,” he added.

He also expressed excitement about the fact that new producers were emerging in the industry. He said, “I love the idea that we can embrace new producers because I believe it’s about job creation. The more producers we have, the more technical people we can employ, the more actors and actresses that can get job and that’s a bigger picture for our job industry.”

He, therefore, entreated other producers to get involved, but advised that they never compromise with standards.