Seasoned actress Stella Damasus has spoken concerning the challenges of Nigerian actors bagging Hollywood roles.
She defined that the Hollywood stereotype of Africans, which she stated Nigerians don’t slot in, is the most important stumbling block in Nollywood actors getting Hollywood roles.
The film star claimed that the Hollywood stereotype of Africans is that every one Africans have East African accents and are as darkish as Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o.
She stated this makes Nigerian actors misfits for Hollywood roles. She defined that the majority Nigerian actors who’ve bagged lead roles in Hollywood have been raised overseas.
In a dialog with Arrow Home, Damasus defined, “Hollywood filmmakers insist that there’s a specific accent that Africans who need to act of their business will need to have. So, that’s why they pressured our individuals to place it on…
“I’m like, we [Nigerians] don’t sound like that, possibly one or two small international locations in East Africa. I’m Nigerian, they’re Ghanaians. We’re totally different individuals and all of us sound totally different. We [Nigerians] don’t sound like this. That’s what Hollywood desires. That’s what they’re used to.
“Many of the Nigerians who’ve executed large display screen motion pictures in Hollywood are individuals who have been raised in England. Most of them have a unique sort of accent. And so they [Hollywood filmmakers] stated to me, ‘We wish an African to be very darkish.
“That’s the sort of African that we’re used to. We’re not used to your sort of African. We wish Lupita darkish. You aren’t darkish sufficient and you aren’t white sufficient to be half-caste, so it will be onerous to position you. You aren’t blended race. Then your accent, you don’t sound American or British, neither do you sound African.’
“And I’m like, ‘How do you suppose Africans sound? As a result of Africa is stuffed with one million and one international locations. And inside these international locations, we now have totally different dialects and totally different accents.’”
