Nollywood actress, Bolaji Ogunmola has opened up about the discrimination she faced early in her career, revealing that her dark skin tone and curvy figure were used as justifications for restricting her to shallow, stereotyped roles when she was trying to establish herself in the industry.

Speaking in a candid interview with media personality JayOnAir, the actress recounted how the industry’s prevailing beauty standards at the time created a hostile environment for performers who did not fit a narrow physical mould.

She said that at a period when lighter-skinned actresses dominated the industry, her appearance was treated as a limitation rather than an asset. “It was almost like they wanted to put me in a box. I am dark-skinned. There was a time when light-skinned people were reigning, and they told me I was very curvy and tried to limit me to ‘side chick’ roles,” she said. “That went on for a while, and I didn’t like it.”

Ogunmola’s account reflects a wider pattern of colourism and body-based discrimination that has long plagued the Nigerian entertainment industry, with darker-skinned actresses often finding themselves overlooked for lead roles or pigeonholed into supporting characters framed around their physical appearance rather than their abilities.

For Ogunmola, the experience was personally frustrating but ultimately failed to derail a career built on persistence. “My journey has been crazy, but I have just kept at it,” she said.

The actress, who participated in the Next Movie Star reality show in 2013 without advancing to the final house, has since carved out a substantial career spanning over 150 productions, with credits including Sobi’s Mystic, Tough Love, Ajosepo and Reach — the 2020 romantic drama that marked her entry into film production. She founded her production company, The Ogunmola Company, in 2019 and has since released several titles distributed across platforms including Africa Magic, ROK and Amazon Prime. Her YouTube channel has also emerged as a significant platform for her work, with films such as Foolish People, A Flicker of Us and The Bloom After drawing considerable audiences.

Alongside her reflections on typecasting, Ogunmola also spoke about the importance of humility and continuous learning on set, crediting filmmaker Biodun Stephen as a formative influence on her development as a producer.

“Before you lead, serve. A lot of the things I learnt were from other producers. Biodun Stephen was my first teacher when it comes to movie production. Every time I am on set, I am watching her,” she said.

Her comments arrive at a time when conversations around colourism and representation in Nollywood are becoming increasingly prominent, with more actresses speaking publicly about the ways in which skin tone has historically shaped casting decisions and career trajectories across the industry.