Stella Damasus come back

1. What she said Speaking on Pulse Nigeria's "Old Vs New" series, where she reacted to clips from her past and present work, Damasus said the Netflix crime thriller revived her career.

The role was Nosa, the wife of the central character. She was not the original choice:
• The character had been created with a younger actress in mind and casting was already close to completion • Her former management representative encouraged her to submit a self-tape despite having less than a day before the deadline • At the time she was in the United States, so she had to complete the audition remotely with another actor in Nigeria reading the opposite lines
After submitting, she heard nothing and assumed the role had gone to someone else. Instead, the production team rewrote the character to accommodate her rather than casting a younger performer.

She also said the production was demanding and pushed her to reconnect with her craft despite her extensive experience.
2. Why the project matters to her
Damasus credited the series, created by Kemi Adetiba, with reinvigorating her career and changing how audiences and industry figures saw her.

She said it gave her career a fresh boost and that she still gets recognition from viewers quoting lines delivered by her character, with the response extending beyond Nigeria to the US, Canada and Ireland.

To Kill a Monkey premiered on Netflix in July 2025 and follows a man drawn into cybercrime after reconnecting with a childhood friend. For Damasus, it was more than another credit — it was a chance to reach a new audience on a major platform after a quieter period.

She also credited co-stars including Lilian Afegbai, William Benson, Bucci Franklin and Sunshine Rosman for raising the standard on set.
3. How fans may see the comeback angle
This is why it lands as a classic comeback narrative:
• Veteran returns: A long-time Nollywood face getting a high-profile Netflix role from Kemi Adetiba, whose previous work includes King of Boys. • Almost-lost-it twist: The last-minute self-tape story makes the win feel unlikely. • Rewrite for her: Fans love the detail that production rewrote Nosa for Damasus instead of going younger — it frames it as talent winning over initial typecasting. •