Nollywood actress Damilola Oni has opened up about a challenging experience in her career, revealing how a senior colleague’s refusal to work with her nearly derailed a major opportunity.
In an interview on Oyinmomo TV, she recounted how the situation unfolded while she was set to play a lead role in a production, but was left unattended on set for hours due to the colleague’s stance.
“Someone once said they can never work with me. I don’t know if it was an offence, but the person said they can’t work with me, that they can’t work on the same set with me.”
She explained that the producer later informed her of the situation and offered her a smaller role instead of the lead she was initially cast for.
“In fact, there was a time when I was on set and supposed to play a role. It was quite a big one for me, and I was excited about it. I had waited for five, six, and even eight hours, and no one had attended to me. I was wondering why I hadn’t started filming when I was supposed to be the lead actor. Later, the producer came into the room and asked if I had offended a certain person. I asked what happened, and he said the person we were supposed to act together with said we had to pick between them and you. And he said he can’t pick me over the person. So, I said there is no problem. So I asked what next, and he said the only thing he could do is to offer me a minor role with about 4 to 5 scenes. That’s what I will end up doing. I wanted to pick up my bag and leave. I was distraught, I was pained, but I thought that leaving would mean that I allowed the person to crush me, and I didn’t want to. Because we will both succeed in our careers, and no one can frustrate me to stop this job. The sky is big enough for everyone to fly”.
Despite the setback, the actress said she chose to remain focused and determined to succeed in her craft, stressing that no one can stop her progress.
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She also spoke about the downside of fame, revealing that she regularly receives inappropriate messages from men on social media.
“Sometimes I will open my Instagram page early in the morning and find a man’s nude picture. They’ll tell me that they’re everything I need. Some people will tell me in the comment section that they watched me on African Magic and got horny and masturbated. Yes, they are masturbating just by watching me on TV.”
“I am single. Because people make advances at me doesn’t mean they’re my spec”.
Damilola further highlighted her concerns about the entertainment industry, noting that visibility and hype often outweigh talent.
“From time immemorial, the person with hype mostly excels over the talented ones. You have to spice it up because that’s what it takes now. Because sometimes, the people who should have excelled and become famous aren’t the ones that we hear about now. But for those who can hype themselves, they have gained the world”.