By TheDailyNewsHub News Desk | October 4, 2026
Veteran Nollywood actress Stella Damasus has reflected on the early years of the Nigerian film industry, saying authenticity and passion for acting defined her generation of performers more than the pursuit of fame or financial rewards.
Damasus shared the memories during an appearance on Pulse TV’s Old vs New programme, published on October 3, 2026, where she discussed her career, the growth of Nollywood and the experiences of female actors during the industry’s formative years.
Recalling her place in the industry alongside actresses Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Damasus said the three were popularly regarded as Nollywood’s “Big Three” during that period.
“We were very authentic,” she said, explaining that they did not build their identities around imitating other performers or trying to become people they were not.
She added that the trio had little idea of how famous they would eventually become because their careers developed at a time when social media was not available to measure popularity or promote actors on the scale seen today.
According to Damasus, their motivation came primarily from their enjoyment of the profession rather than the expectation of celebrity status or substantial earnings.
“We just loved the job. It was more about passion,” she said.
The actress also recalled the challenges young women faced when seeking to enter the film industry. She said families and parents were not always supportive of young women pursuing acting careers, making it difficult for those who wanted to work professionally in the entertainment sector.
She described the women who entered the industry during that period as bold, given the social expectations and resistance they sometimes encountered.
Damasus also discussed the competitive atmosphere among leading actresses, noting that comparisons by fans created pressure to continually demonstrate their abilities.
The rivalry, as she remembered it, was driven partly by audience loyalty, with fans often favouring one actress over another. She said the comparisons encouraged the performers to keep improving and avoid being perceived as the weakest among their contemporaries.
One of the defining moments in her career, she recalled, was her role in the 2005 film The Widow. In the production, she portrayed a grieving woman who faces emotional and physical mistreatment from her late husband’s relatives.
Damasus described the film as one of the most challenging and significant projects of her career, saying its success transformed her professional profile both in Nigeria and internationally.
Her recollections offer a perspective on an earlier phase of Nollywood, when the industry relied heavily on home-video distribution, physical film posters and audience recognition rather than today’s social media-driven publicity and digital streaming platforms.
The Nigerian film industry has since undergone significant changes in production quality, distribution, financing and international reach. Streaming services have also created new opportunities for Nigerian productions and performers to reach audiences outside the country.
Damasus’s comments are a personal reflection on the period and the actresses she identified as the industry’s leading trio, rather than an official ranking of Nollywood performers.
Her account nevertheless highlights the professional pressures, social barriers and changing opportunities experienced by women who helped shape the industry’s earlier generation.