Actress and singer Stella Damasus has opened up about the often overlooked struggles faced by African actors trying to navigate Hollywood’s seemingly inclusive but subtly exclusionary terrain.
In an interview, the 47-year-old revealed how African talents are frequently pressured to shed their cultural identity to conform to Western standards, particularly when it comes to accent and presentation.
“They force our people to put on a particular accent,” she said, referring to what she described as “accent policing”, a systemic tendency in casting that undermines the authenticity African actors bring to their roles.
Now based in the United States, Stella said that her journey in the international film industry has been challenging. Although the global entertainment space often projects a message of diversity and inclusion, Stella noted that African actors still face a quiet kind of discrimination that includes subtle erasure of cultural nuances.
“This issue goes beyond mere pronunciation, it affects the emotional truth of a performance,” she said, arguing that such practices result in “watered-down portrayals” of African characters.
The actress, who has been a staple in Nollywood for over two decades, also pointed out the existence of what she called an “African quota” in Hollywood, a perceived cap on how many African actors can be given prominent roles at any given time.
“Sometimes, you feel like there’s a box we’re all forced into,” Stella lamented.
“Africans are often stereotyped into specific character types such as refugees, house helps, or war victims.”
Despite her long list of achievements in Nollywood, Stella said that African actors often have to start from scratch when entering Western markets. Many of them, she explained, find their previous accomplishments overlooked in favor of newer faces who fit Hollywood’s preconceived notions of what an African actor should sound or look like.
“Instead of being embraced as global collaborators, they are treated as cultural outsiders needing ‘retraining,’” she said.
Stella Damasus is now using her platform to advocate for more inclusive and respectful representation of African talent in global cinema. She urged casting agents and producers to value African actors for their depth, intelligence and versatility, without insisting they conform to Eurocentric molds.
“African actors should be allowed to play lawyers, doctors, CEOs, and superheroes roles that reflect the real-life diversity of African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora,” she said.
Despite the difficulties, Stella remains optimistic. She pointed to the emergence of platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which have helped amplify authentic African stories and give space to voices that were once ignored.
“Don’t lose yourself trying to fit in. Your story, your voice, your identity — that’s your power,” she said to young African creatives trying to find their footing internationally.
Stella Damasus rose to fame in the early 2000s with her role in Behind Closed Doors and Games Women Play and has since become one of Nollywood’s most recognisable faces.
She moved to the US years ago, where she has continued to work in media, acting and public speaking.
