“I Was Limited to ‘Side-Chick’ Roles”- Bolaji Ogunmola Opens Up on Nollywood Stereotypes
Bolaji Ogunmola has opened up about the challenges she faced early in her acting career, revealing that her body type and skin tone often led to her being typecast into “side-chick” roles.
Actress Bolaji Ogunmola is going viral for her comments on beauty standards and stereotyping in Nollywood, following her experience with typecasting in the film industry.
Speaking in a recent interview with social media personality and content creator Jay On-Air, Ogunmola explained that she was frequently boxed into specific character types during a period when light-skinned actresses were more dominant in the industry.
Bolaji revealed that, because she is curvy and dark-skinned, she was repeatedly offered the same types of roles, particularly “side-chick” roles or seductive supporting characters. According to her, the pattern became frustrating because it limited her ability to showcase her acting range and talent fully. She said she often felt boxed into a narrow category based on appearance rather than performance ability.
She said, “It was almost like they wanted to put me in a box. I am dark-skinned, they told me I was very curvy and tried to limit me to ‘side chick’ roles.”
Her revelation has reignited a long-standing conversation in Nollywood about typecasting, in which actors are frequently assigned roles based on looks, accents, or body type rather than artistic versatility.
Many fans and colleagues have praised her honesty, noting that dark-skinned actresses have historically faced both colourism and role limitations in the entertainment industry. Others applauded Bolaji for pushing through those barriers and continuing to build a respected career.
Source: TrendyBeatz
