Nollywood actress and producer Lilian afegbai has shared emotional details about the struggles she faced at the beginning of her acting career, revealing that she was repeatedly rejected—even by friends within the industry.
Speaking in a recent interview with The Sun, the former Big Brother Africa housemate said she encountered countless disappointments while trying to land her first major roles.
“One of the biggest challenges I faced was dealing with rejection and people not being willing to take a chance on me as an actress,” she said. “In the beginning, I heard a lot of ‘no’s, and sometimes it felt like doors just weren’t opening.”
Lillian explained that the pain of rejection was amplified because it often came from people she already knew.
“People that I know—friends in the production industry—would cast me as an extra instead of an actor. It’s different when you play a cameo, but when it becomes the norm for your friends to forget you’re an actor, it’s frustrating. When you remind them, they say you should come and play extra,” she added.
Despite the discouragement, the Edo-born actress said she refused to give up and instead focused on self-improvement.
“Instead of letting it break me, I used it as fuel to work harder, sharpen my skills, and prove myself. Over time, consistency and perseverance paid off, and those same ‘no’s eventually turned into ‘yes.’”
Lillian Afegbai rose to fame after appearing on Big Brother Africa in 2014. She later transitioned fully into acting and film production. In 2018, she produced the movie Bound, which won Best Indigenous Language Film (Igbo) at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).
She has since featured in several notable productions, including Kemi Adetiba’s Netflix series To Kill a Monkey, where she stars as Idia alongside Bucci Franklin and William Benson.
