Stella Damasus says Nigerian talents are sidelined due to outdated Hollywood standards.
She criticizes the industry’s fixation on East African accents and narrow views of African identity.
Veteran Nollywood actress Stella Damasus has opened up about the challenges Nigerian actors face in breaking into Hollywood, attributing it to narrow and often inaccurate stereotypes about African identity.
In a recent interview with Arrow House, Damasus shared her experience and frustrations with Hollywood’s expectations.
“She pointed out that the US film industry often simplifies African characters, typically portraying them with East African accents and dark skin tones, as exemplified by Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o.
She explained that this limited view leaves many Nigerian actors, especially those living in Nigeria, at a disadvantage. “Hollywood insists on a specific ‘African’ accent that doesn’t reflect how most of us actually speak,” she said. “Maybe that accent applies to one or two countries in East Africa, but Nigerians and Ghanaians sound completely different. We’re all unique, but they force a single narrative on us.”
Damasus also pointed out that most Nigerians who have secured leading roles in Hollywood were raised in the UK or abroad, and therefore speak with British or American accents, something the industry finds more relatable.
“They told me, ‘You’re not dark enough, you’re not light enough, you’re not mixed race, and your accent doesn’t fit into what we’re looking for,’” she recounted. “They want someone who looks and sounds like Lupita. But Africa is a continent with over 50 countries and countless languages and dialects.”
The actress expressed disappointment at how Hollywood overlooks the diversity within Africa, reducing its people to one look and one voice. She called for broader representation that truly reflects the continent’s rich cultural and ethnic variety.
