Actress Lillian Afegbai has opened up about the challenges she faced at the start of her acting career, revealing that she was repeatedly rejected by producers and friends in the industry.
Speaking in an interview with The Sun, the former Big Brother Africa housemate said she struggled to get roles despite being surrounded by people who worked in film production.
“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.”
Lilian said the rejections were even more painful because they came from familiar faces.
“People that I know, friends in the production industry, casting me as an extra and not an actor. It’s different when you play a cameo, but when it becomes the norm for your friends to forget you are an actor, it’s frustrating. When you remind them, they say you should come and play extra,” she added.
The Edo-born actress said the experience pushed her to keep improving rather than give up.
“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, who rose to prominence after appearing on Big Brother Africa in 2014, produced the 2018 movie Bound, which won Best Indigenous Language Film (Igbo) at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).
She has since featured in several productions, including Kemi Adetiba’s Netflix series To Kill a Monkey, where she plays the character Idia alongside Bucci Franklin and William Benson.
