It Brought Lots Of Comparisons – Stella Damasus Speaks On Nollywood Rivalry With Omotola, Genevieve

Veteran Nollywood actress, Stella Damasus, has reflected on her early years in the Nigerian film industry.

Naija News reports that the thespian recalled a period when she, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Genevieve Nnaji were widely regarded as three of the leading actresses in Nollywood.

Damasus made the disclosure during an interview with Pulse TV.

According to the actress, the three stars earned the reputation of being Nollywood’s “Big Three” because of their talent, individuality and dedication to their craft.

She said they stayed true to themselves and didn’t build their careers by copying other actors or chasing fame and money.

Damasus also recalled that their rise happened before the widespread use of social media and they had limited ways of knowing how popular they were or how far their careers could go.

She said: “They called us the Big Three, Omotola, Stella and Genevieve. We were very authentic; we weren’t trying to be other people, copy other people, or be who we aren’t. Everything was authentic; we weren’t doing it for fame or money.

“There was no social media to tell us how big we could get. We didn’t know. After you see yourself on a poster, that’s about it; people may recognise you here or there at that time.

“You saw young, beautiful, and talented women coming together to do the job with everything they had and so much determination to succeed. It brought about a lot of comparisons. Fans who love one more than the others, and we had to keep proving ourselves. So we don’t think we are the weakest. Nobody wanted to be the weakest,” Damasus said.