By Charles Pemu 
Nigerian actress and filmmaker Stella Damasus is pulling back the curtain on Hollywood’s rigid expectations for African talent, declaring that the industry’s narrow stereotypes are a major hurdle for Nigerian actors. She argues that Hollywood attempts to force diverse African identities into a restrictive “box” that simply doesn’t fit reality.
According to Damasus, Hollywood filmmakers often demand a singular “African accent” and insist on a specific skin tone, often referencing Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o as the desired benchmark for darkness. “They forced our people to put it on,” Damasus revealed in a conversation with Arrow House. “We [Nigerians] don’t sound like that… We are different people and we all sound different.”
This narrow perception, Damasus explains, leaves many Nigerian actors as misfits for Hollywood roles. She pointed out that most Nigerians who have landed major Hollywood parts were typically raised abroad, possessing accents that diverge from the “African” stereotype demanded.
Damasus recounted a personal encounter where she was told, “We want an African to be very dark… We want Lupita dark. You are not dark enough and you are not white enough to be half-caste, so it would be hard to place you.” She challenged this limited viewpoint, stressing that “Africa is full of a million and one countries. And inside those countries, we have different dialects and different accents.”
Her exposé highlights a critical clash between the vibrant, diverse realities of Nollywood and the often-simplistic, one-size-fits-all approach of Hollywood, urging a broader and more authentic representation of African talent.