THUSO MBEDU IS THE NAME ON HOLLYWOOD’S LIPS

ALYSSIA BIRJALAL

The sky is the limit for South African-born actress Thuso Mbedu.

The young actress is not new to TV and her outstanding performance in Amazon Prime Video’s The Underground Railroad and her several awards thereafter took her international career to the next level – with almost everyone in Hollywood wanting a piece of the South African beauty.

Mbedu was nominated for an International Emmy award for her role in the local drama series Is’Thunzi and, although she didn’t walk away with the Emmy, it was that moment that fuelled the fire which led to her being one of the most talked about actresses on Hollywood’s lips.

This young phenomenon recently played the lead role of Cora Randall in The Underground Railroad, a series that looked at black American slavery, and which won many awards.

In the series, Cora and Caesar run away from the Georgia plantation where they have been slaves for three generations. The rest of the story looks at black experiences, not just during slavery, but throughout American history.

Mbedu’s performance earned her several international awards which include, TV Breakout Star at the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards, Outstanding Performance in a New Series at the Gotham Independent Film Awards and her most recent award, Best Female Performance in a new Scripted Series at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards held earlier this month in Santa Monica, California.

On the back of this, Mbedu has also secured a role in the historical drama, The Woman King, which is set to release in September and boasts a cast of brilliant actors like Viola Davis, John Boyega and Sheila Atim who also acted in The Underground Railroad alongside Mbedu.

Mbedu is not only one of the most compelling faces on television but a force to be reckoned with on the fashion front too.

She recently graced the Critics Choice Awards red carpet in a sparkly gold Christian Dior Fall 2020 Haute Couture gown, which she paired with simple Pomellato jewels and a matching gold clutch.