People always think I’m a one-sided actor — Stella Damasus

n n

By Ayo Onikoyi
Veteran Nollywood actress Stella Damasus has pushed back against perceptions about her range, saying audiences have only seen a limited side of her craft.

n

Speaking on the Tea With Tay Podcast, she said, “People always think I am a one-sided kind of actor. They don’t know the half of me. That’s why I am back.”

n

Damasus also recounted her unexpected entry into acting, revealing that her initial passion was music. She explained, “I didn’t know I would be a professional Nollywood actress. I came to Lagos as a kid. I was 15. I was a singer. I was singing in places like Jazzville in Yaba and I was a staff of Klinx Studios.”

n

She added that she built her early career doing background vocals and commercial work. “I was doing jingles and backup singing for a lot of people. I had a lot of mentors there teaching me how to sing. I thought that was who I was going to be.”

n

According to her, acting came by chance after a friend persuaded her to attend an audition. “One day, I was in my house, hadn’t showered, and a friend of mine came and said she was going to Ikeja for an audition and that I should come with her. I was living with my sister in Surulere back then.”

n

On her personal life, the actress spoke about her deep bond with her children, describing them as her anchor. “We are very close. I call them my support system. I think the way I say God kept me for them, God gave them to me knowing everything that I will go through in my life. I would need children who are sane, who love me unconditionally, who will be strong enough to go through certain things with me and still stand.”

n n