Reported by KelvinChilds 👇
"Let’s talk about the BIG 3 controversy because the disrespect is getting out of hand.
Some of you genuinely need to go back to your history lessons because we cannot keep rewriting Nollywood history to suit our personal favourites.
Stella Damasus, in an interview, said: “They called us the Big Three, Genevieve, Omotola, Stella. The three of us were in this thing playing friends.”
Now, that should tell you she was referring to Games Women Play.
So the question is “who called them the BIG 3?”
When she said THEY who and who was she referring to?
Pay attention, because I’m going somewhere with this.
Between 2000 and 2004, Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Stella Damasus were three of Nollywood’s leading ladies. While other actresses were making their mark and building their careers, these three were already commanding leading roles. Rita Dominic, Stephanie Okereke and Ini Edo, among others, were also active in the industry, but they were often cast in supporting roles during that period.
What distinguished the trio was that they had established themselves as leading ladies in their own right. They weren’t playing second fiddle to another IT girl.
Now, you may be asking, “But what cemented them as the Big 3?”
Get your pen and paper. Class is in session!
In 2004, the Association of Movie Producers and Marketers blacklisted eight Nollywood stars. The list became known as the G8 and included Nkem Owoh, RMD, Ramsey Nouah, Jim Iyke, Emeka Ike, Stella Damasus, Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.
And why were these stars reportedly blacklisted? Their fees had become a major point of contention. They were demanding higher payments, and their asking prices were among the highest in the industry.
In other words, these were stars whose market value gave them the leverage to demand higher fees.
Now, look closely at that list. Amongst the actors, Stella, Genevieve and Omotola were the names that stood out. The only 3 women on the list. Others were men.
Their status as the Big 3 was not only about fan popularity; it was also about their standing in the industry at the time.
Then came Games Women Play.
The film brought Stella Damasus, Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde together, and seeing these three leading ladies share the screen was a major moment.
Till date there are still the only trio to have been in a movie together. I dare anyone to mention any film that proves otherwise.
Of course, their ban automatically gave others the opportunity to take on leading roles and while Genny and Omotola took to music to earn a living and still stayed relevant, Stella was dealing with a huge loss.
Her husband had died and she was completely devastated. A woman with a flourish career suddenly became a widow and you know what that means. Her career suffered and by the time she was ready to pick up the pieces, other actresses were already in our faces, especially Rita Dominic, who was now warming her way to fill up the 3rd position. The BIG three dynamics changed to BIG 4 when Stephanie joined the ranks, at this point it had become more of a fan base and audience ranking than industry standard. At a point Rita was even demoted to 4th place while fans branded Genny, Omotola and Stephanie the big 3.
So let’s not get it twisted..
When Stella was bagging leading roles, some of the actresses you’re now using to discredit her were still working their way up the ladder.
The industry called them the Big 3. That designation belonged to a particular era, and you cannot simply remove Stella from the equation because your personal ranking looks different.
You will not disrespect Azuka, daugher of Lebechi. "
