I was paid based on my height after shooting a movie – Don Little recounts

Ghanaian actor Don Little has opened up about the struggles he faced at the early stages of his acting career, revealing how he was often overlooked and underpaid.

Speaking during a discussion with Empress Gifty on UCook on May 3, 2026, Don Little recounted how his journey in the movie industry began with minor roles that barely got him noticed.

“The first movie I shot, I played the passerby role. When the movie was out, I wasn’t in it. I was really pained because at that time, I would hawk, and the little amount I earn, I would take it to the set,” he said.

According to him, in an attempt to gain recognition and impress directors, he often went the extra mile, including buying gifts for industry players.

“Sometimes, when you want to get noticed by directors or try to impress them in a way so that they would want to work with you, I would buy gifts for them. At the end of the day, they would just use me as a passerby, where someone would ask me for directions. When the movies come out, I wouldn’t see myself in them. That happened so many times,” he disclosed.

He shared that his efforts to make a name through skit-making also did not yield immediate success.

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“A man in Kumasi then asked me to start shooting short skits with him. Whenever something trends, I would rant and criticise the people involved in skits, but that one too wasn’t picking up for me,” he explained.

Don Little noted that his breakthrough came after meeting his colleague Yaw Dabo, with whom he worked on several projects that brought him into the spotlight.

“I later met Yaw Dabo, and we shot a couple of movies too, and that’s where I gained recognition,” he said.

However, he revealed that even after gaining some recognition, he continued to face exploitation by producers.

“The producers were paying me according to height, so I wasn’t earning enough, and I sometimes don’t get paid at all. They would always be giving excuses, so I later realised they were cheating me,” he stated.

He further indicated that he eventually had to take a firm stand against the unfair treatment.

“It got to a time that they would call me for a shoot, and I wouldn’t go. I sometimes threatened them that if they didn’t pay me, I would get them arrested, and they promised to do better,” he added.

I featured in several movie shoots, but my scenes never made it to the screen; it was painful - Don Little #UCook pic.twitter.com/4Bs4HO7ui7

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) May 3, 2026