Essence’s Young Black Hollywood list of 2021 is out and two South Africa actresses Nomzamo Mbatha and
Thuso Mbedu have been noted among the list of 20 young actors that will have impact in 2021.
In the feature release last week, the 50-year-old publication described showcases 20 actors including Ryan Destiny, Tone Bell, Quinta Brunson, Eli Goree, Dominique Fishback and more young black actors of Hollywood. It noted Mbedu as “one of the most compelling new faces on television” while acknowledging Mbatha for her “level of care and commitment” in her acting.
Mbatha is set to appear Coming 2 America alongside Hollywood greats Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, that is
set to premiere in March.
Mbedu will make her international debut in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad as character Cora Randall who’s desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. After escaping a Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers the actual railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the soil. Throughout her journey, she is pursued by Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton), a bounty hunter; as she contends with the legacy of the mother that left her behind and her own struggles to realise a life she never thought were possible.
The show is set to stream in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.
