Leila Djansi reveals how John Dumelo nearly got stabbed on set due to negligence

Award-winning American-based Ghanaian movie producer, Leila Jewel Djansi has shared a terrifying story about how actor-turned politician, John Dumelo nearly got stabbed on a film shoot.

In a post on her Facebook wall on March 2, 2025, the experienced filmmaker described the Ghanaian movie industry as a “mirthless joke”, citing some unpleasant experiences she witnessed while working in Ghana.

“I have tasted and tested the Ghana film industry since the year 2000. Bled red blood for it and from it, and… it is a mirthless joke,” she wrote on Facebook.

Djansi pointed out how some crew members exhibited unprofessionalism including an Assistant Director requesting to sleep for few minutes in a middle of a shoot and a crew member asking for shooting to be paused to go watch a football match and return later.

She further recalled how the negligence of a production designer almost led to the stabbing of Dumelo.

“Should I talk about the production designer who passed a real knife to an actor for a stabbing scene? My God. If it wasn’t for divine intervention, Vanessa Williams would have stabbed John Dumelo with a real knife that day. How is this not a joke?” she recounted.

Leila Djansi further highlighted some unpleasant experiences she encountered while working in Ghana.

“Try an AD telling you he’s going to sleep for a few minutes in the middle of a shoot. Try a crew demanding you stop filming, bring a TV so they can watch football, and then return to set after the match.

“Look for what Cary Fukunaga said about working in Ghana. Try wardrobe telling an actor they don’t have an outfit for them because their role is not big enough,” the revered movie producer lamented.

Although she did not reveal the name of the project where the said incident occurred, John Dumelo starred alongside Hollywood star Vanessa Williams in the 2018 TV series “40 & single” which aired on StarTimes Adepa TV.

Dumelo played the character Charles who was the fiancé to Vanessa Williams’ character; Bertha Brown.

She compared these incidents with her experiences in other countries, where she witnessed a high level of professionalism and attention to detail.

“Compare that to my production in the Dominican Republic, where the props guy showed me eight different watches, properly arranged, for me to choose JUST ONE, for the scene. Eight options. I cried tears of joy,” Djansi wrote.

The filmmaker urged industry players to ‘stop defending mediocrity’ and instead embrace constructive criticism so they can grow.

The post Leila Djansi reveals how John Dumelo nearly got stabbed on set due to negligence first appeared on 3News.

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