Veteran Nollywood actress Stella Damasus has shed light on the hurdles Nigerian performers face when auditioning for roles in Hollywood.
Speaking on the Arrow House podcast, Stella Damasus said outdated and narrow stereotypes about what “African” should look and sound like remain a major stumbling block.
According to her, many Hollywood producers still picture Africans as having a single, East African–style accent and a Lupita Nyong’o complexion.
“They tell you an African must be very dark and speak in a certain way,” she revealed.
“But Nigerians don’t sound like that, and neither do Ghanaians. Africa is a continent of many voices and shades.”
She noted that most Nigerians who have landed sizeable roles in Hollywood were either born or raised abroad.
She often adopting British or American accents that casting directors find easier to place.
By contrast, Nigerian actors who sound authentically West African—and who don’t fit Hollywood’s colour expectations—are often pigeon‑holed or rejected outright.
Producers have told her, she said, that she is “not dark enough” to fit their image of an African character, yet also “not light enough” to be cast as mixed‑race.
“They don’t know where to place me,” she explained.
Damasus argues that this rigid mindset fails to recognise Africa’s diversity. “Within Nigeria alone we have dozens of languages and dialects,” she said. “So why insist on one accent to represent an entire continent?”
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Until Hollywood broadens its definition of African identity, she warns, talented Nigerian actors will keep facing an uphill battle for meaningful roles on the global stage.
