Not Dark Enough, Not Foreign Enough”: Stella Damasus Unpacks Hollywood’s Stereotypes Against Nigerian Actors

Veteran Nollywood Star, Stella Damasus has opened up on the entrenched barriers keeping many Nigerian actors from breaking into Hollywood, citing stereotypical casting, narrow beauty standards, and a rigid accent bias that fails to reflect Africa’s diversity.

In a recent interview with Arrow House, the actress said her skin tone, accent, and identity didn’t “fit” the Hollywood mold of what African actors should look and sound like.

Damasus revealed that despite her decades of experience in film, Hollywood casting directors often dismissed her for not sounding or appearing “African enough,” insisting that African actors must carry a specific East African accent and dark skin tone associated with actresses like Lupita Nyong’o.

“They told me I was neither dark enough to be their African stereotype nor white enough to be biracial,” she said, calling it a problematic and reductive view of an entire continent.

The actress, who rose to fame in Nollywood with classics like Games Women Play and Behind Closed Doors, noted that actors who’ve found success in Hollywood typically have foreign backgrounds.

“Most Nigerians who’ve bagged big roles in Hollywood grew up in the UK or U.S.

”Their accents are considered more acceptable,” she said, lamenting that native-born Nigerians are often filtered out by biased expectations.

Highlighting the uniform casting standards imposed by Western media, Damasus explained that Hollywood still views Africa through a narrow, outdated lens.

“Hollywood wants a specific kind of African—very dark, heavy accent, mostly East African,” she noted.

“They don’t know or care that Nigeria alone has over 500 ethnic groups with unique accents and identities.”

According to her, this skewed perception discourages authenticity.

”Many Nigerian actors are often pressured to fake an unfamiliar East African accent just to meet Hollywood’s requirements, instead of representing their real voice and cultural nuance.

“We are now forced to mimic what we’re not, just to stand a chance,” she said.

Stella recounted a personal experience where she was told her accent wasn’t British, American, or even “African enough,” a comment she found insulting. “Africa isn’t a monolith.

“We’re different people, different dialects. Hollywood must stop boxing us into a character that only exists in their imagination, ” she said.

The actress urged African filmmakers and casting agents in diaspora to push back against these stereotypes by telling more authentic African stories with diverse voices.

“We have the talent. We need platforms that don’t demand we dilute our identity to be visible,” she asserted.

Her revelation joins a growing list of African creatives challenging Hollywood’s gatekeeping culture, which has long rewarded tokenism over true representation.

As Nollywood continues its global rise, Damasus believes it’s time for the world to meet Nigerians exactly as they are—accent, shade, and all.