Veteran Nollywood actress Stella Damasus has called out Hollywood’s rigid and stereotypical perception of African identity, which she says has sidelined talented Nigerian actors from securing prominent roles in global films. Speaking during a recent interview with Arrow House, the screen icon revealed that casting directors often reject Nigerians because they don’t conform to a narrow Hollywood template of what an African should look or sound like.
Damasus explained that Hollywood frequently expects Africans to possess East African accents and deep complexions like Kenyan-born Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o. “They want a very dark African. If you’re not Lupita dark, they don’t know where to place you,” she said. “You’re not dark enough, not white enough to be half-caste, not mixed race, and your accent is confusing to them.”
She described how, during casting conversations, filmmakers insisted on a singular “African accent,” often unfamiliar and unrepresentative of West Africans. “I’m Nigerian. We don’t sound like that. Ghana is different. East Africans sound different. But they don’t care. They have one idea of how Africa sounds,” Damasus added, visibly frustrated by the homogenization of a continent with over 50 nations.
According to the actress, many of the few Nigerians who have made it into Hollywood’s lead roles often had one thing in common—they were raised in the UK or the U.S. and had the required British or American accent with just enough “exotic flavor” to play African characters. “They tell you your accent is neither American nor African enough. But whose African accent are we using here?” she asked rhetorically.
Her experience sheds light on a deeper problem: the erasure of authentic African diversity in global cinema. Damasus emphasized that the continent is rich in dialects, skin tones, and cultures, but Hollywood often compresses this into one oversimplified box. She also recalled being told she was “not dark enough” to play an African but also “not light enough” to pass for mixed race.
Beyond skin tone and accent, Damasus noted that the lack of cultural nuance among casting agents contributes to the exclusion of West African talent. “They’re used to a type of African. So unless you fit that, you’re either invisible or labeled ‘hard to cast,’” she said.
Her remarks have reignited conversations across African film circles and diaspora communities about representation, gatekeeping, and the urgent need to decolonize storytelling in global cinema.
