Veteran actress Stella Damasus has opened up on the challenges Nigerian actors face in breaking into Hollywood, blaming stereotypes about African identity and accents.
In a chat with Arrow House, Damasus stated that Hollywood casting directors often wrongly assume all Africans must have an East African accent and dark skin, like Lupita Nyong’o, making Nigerian actors appear as “misfits” for certain roles.
She explained, “Hollywood filmmakers insist on a particular ‘African’ accent that doesn’t represent us. Nigerians and Ghanaians sound nothing like what they expect. They also want Africans to be very dark — Lupita dark. For them, I’m neither dark enough nor light enough to fit any box.”
Damasus noted that most Nigerians who land major Hollywood roles, like John Boyega or Chiwetel Ejiofor, were raised abroad and have British or American accents.
She added, “Africa is not a country. It’s made of many nations with countless dialects and accents, but Hollywood still wants to box us into one outdated stereotype.”
Her remarks have sparked fresh debate on representation and authenticity in global cinema.
