‘THE Woman King’ star and South African darling Thuso Mbedu has spoken about how she pushed away her doubts and obstacles to star in the new historical film epic.
Last night, the cast of box office success “The Woman King” gathered with celebrities and influencers for the South African premiere of the film.
Directed by American film director and screenwriter Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film stars multiple award-winning actress Viola Davis, who also produced the film, our very own Mbedu, English actresses Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim and English actor and producer John Boyega, in the all-female film, shot in South Africa.
Inspired by true events that took place in the African Kingdom of Dahomey, the film earned $19 million in its opening weekend, exceeding initial expectations.
Speaking prior to the premiere yesterday, Mbedu told The Star that the secret to the “surprise” success of the film was that “it’s a great movie and it’s a story that hasn’t been told before”.
“I guess it’s a surprise because it’s all been done before and people are always sceptical of being the first. I’ve heard something where people, especially within this industry, strive to be the second best. Meaning they’re not willing to take risks but when they see someone else do it, then they want to be the best at doing what someone else has done and that’s unfortunate,” the Emmy nominated actress said.
The film tells the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s and follows the emotional journey of General Nanisca (played by Davis) as she inspires the king to take on his enemies, determined to violate their honour and destroy their way of life.
“Here we have a really good story with an amazing cast, shot in South Africa at great locations, that looks beautiful. That is why it’s doing as well as it is. People feel seen in this movie. People from all different races, both genders, konke,” Mbedu said.
Speaking on the creative process while shooting a film that was black-led, the actress said the cast and crew were excited to shoot ‘The Woman King’ in South Africa as many hadn’t been to Africa before
“They [Viola and Lashana] speak of this energy and being on the set; there’s a particular type of energy. That’s who I am. That’s who we are as a people, from the crew, to the background extras. That’s just the essence of who we are,” she said.
Mbedu further spoke of a day on set when it rained, footage of which the cast and crew shared on social media.
“People came out and started singing and celebrating. That was just a beautiful vibe and energy on set. That is who we are and Viola always speaks about how it couldn’t have happened anywhere else because you can’t fabricate that on a soundstage somewhere in America,” she said.
While promoting the film, the cast had spoken about the extensive training, including weapons training, that they had to go through in preparation. Thuso said the physical training went hand-in-hand when preparing and creating her character Nawi.
“My character is a new recruit. My character was starting from zero, exactly the same as me and I had no previous experience with real training or stunts or anything. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Just like my character always wanted to be a part of the army, but the reality of getting to where you’re going, it’s hard,” she said.
She added that she had to push through her doubts and the own obstacles she placed for herself.
“I remember I wrote an email to Gina saying, this thing is hard but this means I know exactly what my character is feeling at every step of the way… because for her, it’s real life,” she said.
The film is set be released in South Africa on September 30.
@Chulu_M