Nollywood screen actress Amanda Oruh has shared her journey through years of rejection before landing a major role in the acclaimed film Lady.
Oruh, who plays the character Pinky in the movie, revealed that she spent nearly a decade attending auditions and struggling to secure acting opportunities before her breakthrough.
“Ten years of auditions, rejections, months without work, wondering if I was delusional for believing this could happen,” she said while reflecting on her early career challenges.
Her persistence eventually paid off when Lady premiered in Europe at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale, where the film reportedly received a standing ovation from the audience.
Recalling the emotional moment of seeing herself on screen, Oruh said the experience brought her to tears.
“I watched myself as Pinky on that screen, and I cried. Not pretty tears, the kind that come from somewhere deep, where you’ve been holding pain and hope in equal measure for too long,” she said.
The actress, who also appeared in the popular Nigerian film King of Boys, described the moment she stood alongside her castmates at the international festival as a defining point in her career.
“Standing on that stage with my castmates and looking out at faces from all over the world who came to see this story about Lagos women, I felt it. This is why I didn’t quit,” she added.
The UK–Nigerian co-production tells the story of women in Lagos navigating survival, resilience, and sisterhood.
Earlier this year, the ensemble cast of Lady also earned global recognition after winning the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble at the Sundance Film Festival.
