Actress Damilola Oni alleges career sabotage by senior colleague
Actress Damilola Oni has alleged that a senior colleague once attempted to undermine her career. Speaking during an interview on Oyinmomo TV, Oni said the colleague refused to work with
- By Yewande Fasan
Actress Damilola Oni has alleged that a senior colleague once attempted to undermine her career.
Speaking during an interview on Oyinmomo TV, Oni said the colleague refused to work with her, claiming they could not share the same set.
She recounted that the incident occurred when she was billed to play a lead role but was left unattended for hours during production.
According to her, the producer later disclosed that the senior colleague had issued an ultimatum, which resulted in her being reassigned to a minor role.
Despite the experience, Oni said she chose not to quit, expressing determination to succeed in the industry and maintaining that there is room for everyone to thrive.
“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.
"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”, she said.
The actress also spoke about online harassment, including explicit messages and nude pictures from men.
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She said, “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”.
She criticised the industry's focus on hype over talent, saying those who self-promote often excel over more talented individuals.
“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”, she added.
