Amanda Oruh Opens Up: ‘I Faced Rejections For Years Before Making It

Screen actress Amanda Oruh has opened up about the years of struggle she endured before achieving recognition in the film industry. According to Ireporter Online, Oruh, who plays the character Pinky in the acclaimed film Lady, spent nearly a decade facing repeated rejections and struggling to secure acting roles.

Ten years of auditions, rejections, months without work, wondering if I was delusional for believing this could happen,” Oruh recalled, reflecting on her long journey to success.

Her perseverance, however, was rewarded when Lady had its European premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), where the film received a standing ovation. “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 shared.

Oruh further described the moment of triumph: “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.”

Lady, a UK–Nigerian co-production, explores the lives of women in Lagos as they navigate survival, resilience, and sisterhood. Earlier this year, the ensemble cast of the film was honored with the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble at the Sundance Film Festival.