I added a new photoshoot to the gallery taken by Teneshia Carr for Blanc Magazine. Click on the gallery link below to see all new photos.

Ella Balinska on transformation, and the importance of sharing untold narratives

Ella Balinska was the perfect addition to the third generation of Angels — her breakout role you might know her from. The British actress of the most distinguished sense, graduated from the Guildford School of Acting and immersed herself effortlessly into Hollywood. For clarification, she has never been interested in playing its ingenue. Balinska is an exhilarating mix of beauty, mystery, and novel fearlessness. Her triumphant female-powered moments in television and cinema are rare — and completely owned. Her capacity as an actor champions the messy, complicated, and profoundly compelling character — and we know she can deliver important narratives to any screen.

Balinska’s accolades include Junction 9, The Athena, and the Resident Evil series — but her vitae will be expanding with her forthcoming Run Sweetheart Run. Not only is she delivering important narratives to the screen but also to social awareness in her own approach. As with all of us, she’s experienced an awakening since the days of the pandemic to experience an inner transformation. “I still feel like Ella Ballinska, but I feel like a more anchored version.” Like many of us, she believes we cannot tell diverse, universal stories that connect us without women and people of color. A mix of “British, Polish, and Caribbean,” her perspective is fascinating. As a Cartier Ambassador, she brings the classic maison a fresh outlook that’s peerless.

A notably interesting detail is that Balinska attended the Academy of Performance Combat — acquiring training in 12 weapons, including gladius, knife, sword, axel shield, and fists. Perhaps that’s why she kicks so much ass.

Introducing October Starring Ella Balinska

Hi ella! it’s so lovely to meet you. I’m excited to chat with you more about your career so far and finding out what makes you tick. you’ve come out of the gate with some incredible projects like making your first film debut in Charlie’s AngelS, followed by Resident Evil, and you have a lot on the horizon. What has your experience so far taught you about being brave and courageous in the pursuit of what you want?

I’ve been really lucky, especially in the earlier part of my career, where it was about taking right-of-passage roles like Casualty and Midsomer Murders, the British classics loved by many. Then when the first big blockbuster came around, I didn’t think I was going to be anywhere near the running for it. The tape I gave in was fearless, unapologetic, and what I wanted this character to be given the chance to portray her. I think that fearlessness worked in my favor because I ended up booking the job. But with that, there was a certain sense of calm because I knew when I was on set I was there because I gave my version that people loved. I didn’t need to apologize or worry whether it’s what they wanted, which is a very easy mindset to get into earlier in your career, since I started with authenticity. Of course, you fail and make interesting choices left, right, and center, but there has been nothing in my early career that I regret. It’s been a strong foundation to keep moving forward and continue making those bold choices.

I love talking about authenticity, being yourself is the most valuable currency you can bring to anything you do.

You are your best asset, so run with it.

When you sign onto a project what typically guides or excites you— is it a gut feeling, something that could push you, and expand your horizons?

I was in a place in my early career where maybe I didn’t have quite the opportunity in drama school training to play those empowered roles, so I was almost craving that when I got into the industry. I’d read these scripts and most people would think they were terrifying and question what the filming experience would be like. I’d see it more as a, hell yeah! (laughs). It was more of an opportunity to sink my teeth into these characters, which was reflected in Charlie’s Angels, Run Sweetheart Run, and Resident Evil.

When you were in school, was your ultimate dream to pursue film, TV, or were you just open to what opportunities would come your way?

Speaking as a drama school student, I think most will say they will take any opportunities (laughs), but in that, I have always loved film. When I watched Zoe Saldaña in Avatar, it was the first time where I was like wow, I really want to be part of the process of making this film.

Speaking of drama school, you attended the Guildford School of Acting in London, where you now have a scholarship, that’s so amazing, paying it forward. Why was it so important for you to give back in this way?

When Black Lives Matter was at the forefront of everyone’s mind, I asked myself, where can I contribute? I thought about that feeling in drama school when I wanted to play those empowering roles and tell those types of stories. I thought it would be great to open that opportunity for other people to discover how their culture has an impact on the industry and also giving students the resources and the tools to fully explore that. However each person wants to expand on that after their graduation is totally up to them, I just wanted to make sure actors coming into the industry have that undercurrent of empowerment in everything they did moving forward. Everything they have put out has always been thoughtful and as you said, it’s a knock-on effect that pays it forward. The thing I could do was open up the opportunity for someone else and then for them to open up an opportunity for someone else–it’s a domino effect.

That’s so incredible. I’ve come to learn the key to evolving as a creative is staying curious. What has your experience been so far?

Whenever you have an impulse to explore something creatively or physically, just follow that because all it does is lend to your experience as a person. I think you hit the nail on the head about staying curious, everyone always asks, well, what does that mean? I think it’s about heading out of your comfort zone a little bit. All of my friends, and maybe my team as well, know I’m a spontaneous person. If someone asks me what I am doing in 20 minutes, I’ll say, I don’t know (laughs). At the moment, I am really enjoying DJing. Someone recently rang me and said, you have 20 minutes to get to the venue, go! I was in my pajamas (laughs). I am embracing life in that way because every experience feeds into your art.

So are you just booking gigs around LA? You mentioned you recently DJed at Burning Man!

Yeah, I have been booking gigs (laughs). Even my team is like, how are you doing this? And I am like, word of mouth is a powerful thing! I am just having a lot of fun–it’s an expression, it’s art–I am loving it, and there is no objective.

That’s so important, to have something you lose yourself in and not put pressure on it and feel like, I need to be the best in the world, just have fun! That’s a freeing feeling.

Oh yes, if you come to my show, you will have a great time and you’ll also remember, I am a human being (laughs)!

Much of your work you have done extensive training, but mentally and emotionally, how do you step into a new role?

I only take on roles with characters that I connect with. There are two parts to this, there is the emotional experience—it will click inside of me in that way, and it will open up the capacity for imagination. There is also a lot of research that goes into it and I want to make sure I stay authentic to the character–so there are a lot of conversations with the director–especially with Run Sweetheart Run. It’s the constant search for truth.

Does it click immediately for you or does it take a while for things to fall into place?

I am a human being and there are times where I am hyper-fixating in my girl cave, as I call it, and I’ll be completely in a study bubble. Then there are times I feel like I need to put something down for a week or two and let life happen. It’s crazy how in a role like Resident Evil, life did echo a lot of what was happening on screen. It’s powerful and you can be too cerebral with something; sometimes it’s about letting your natural instincts take over, which is important.

Your next project is Run Sweetheart Run from Blumhouse Productions. upon hearing about it, I thought it sounded like a light-hearted movie, but it’s another reason to maybe not go on a blind date (laughs). Can you talk more about your role as Cherie and about stepping into the heart-pounding horror genre?

I say, if this movie isn’t a love letter to the best and worst sides of Los Angeles, I’m not sure what film is. It’s a very visceral feeling, however at its core, there is this awesome messaging, if you want to look into the subtext of each scene and what the director, Shana Feste has done with her writing. It’s special and it’s what drew me into it when I asked her what she wanted to do with the story. My character Cherie is a single mother and she goes out on a client dinner and it turns horribly wrong. Unlike most horror movies where there is the ebb and flow of horror–suddenly you are really in it and then you are out of it and you wake up the next morning and you say, hey, did you see the ghost—there is no ebb here only flow (laughs). It’s an intense film and once you strap in you are in for a ride.

How do you unwind after an intense day like that? I’m sure your adrenaline is pounding, or maybe you don’t and that lack of sleep or wind-down can help fuel the character?

This film was shot three years ago and I am a completely different person from when we shot it. My life experience, the way I am doing press, and my experience of time on set has more than tripled since then. I can actually speak on this in a wiser way than I would have in 2019 and I think it’s an interesting thing to touch on. Ella in 2019 would have been like, we did such a cool thing, we were in LA on location, it was intense, and I got to be covered in blood all of the time. It was my birthday a few days ago and 26-year-old Ella has a slightly different answer (laughs). I will say I thought I was unwinding while filming but I didn’t. I would go to bed with all the dirt and gore in my hair for continuity and wake up the next morning and keep it going. The memory of that character definitely stayed in my body for a couple of weeks after I shot the thing. Now, I take my PlayStation around with me to take my mind off things. I think it’s really easy to stay in this dark hole of self-induced suffering, especially for a role like this in the horror genre, but now, I am there for a good time and I am going to tell the story and work with amazing people, like Pilou Asbæk and Shana Feste. I have discovered in my journey of acting that I could have removed myself a bit further at the end of the day.

It’s great to look back and realized you learned something important, that’s growth! Next year you will start production in Hugo Keijer’s, The Occupant, which you also helped produce. Talk to me about the film, it sounds super intriguing, and about deciding to expand and take on the role as a producer.

When I was in South Africa filming Resident Evil, there were so many restrictions with covid. I found the day ran faster when I was cc’d on an email and when I was told what was going on. I found a lot of creative decision-making that would spend half the day running up the chain of command, I could solve it in ten seconds and that interested me. I loved being part of the creative process and with light things like a costume for Jade, which myself and Danielle Knox worked on together. With The Occupant, I am the protagonist, it’s two-handed but it’s just me on set. Because I am so emotionally and physically there, I am involved. It’s important to have that open dialogue with the director in that expanded creative way, which comes with the producer role.

It’s so much more fulfilling, I think, when you have a say or part in how things go, plus you will learn the ropes so if one day you want to solely step into that role you will know it.

Exactly, the goal is to be able to cast my friends in things and be like I produced X, Y, and Z, I know what I am doing (laughs).

You also step into a new form of entertainment in the upcoming Forspoken by Square Enix for PlayStation 5, which is coming out on January 24th. I read you are into gaming so it must have been a trip doing this. What was that process like as compared to say your role in Resident Evil?

The process is very much akin to theater because it’s very physical. Every movement has to be slightly exaggerated so the people in the back can see. But then again there is no audience and you are standing there with all of these dots on you and all of these lights tracking your every move. Because it’s so expensive to do, render, and record, whenever you film a scene you have to do it the whole way through, and like theater, you are in it. But like film, if you mess it up you just start again.

You’ve established yourself not only in film but also in the fashion and beauty world since you are the ambassador to brands like Cartier, congratulations. I heard you might be dabbling in something of your own?

For my own thing, all I can say is February question mark (laughs). It’s a little passion project. But with the brand ambassadorships, the most exciting thing—besides traveling the world and learning the craft of modeling—is that each has cool philanthropic endeavors that I align with like Cartier who does so much with female empowerment. It feels authentic and I always try to lead with authenticity.

I always love to ask, since I am such a believer in saying out loud what you want, and dream, what are some big dreams you have down the pipeline that you would love to come to fruition?

I’ve had such an incredible journey into this industry, I’d like to preface with that. It’s been zero to hero with Charlie’s Angels. I would love to be able to look behind me in five to ten years and be proud of the body of work I have built despite being thrown into this thing head first. I recently posted a video on my Instagram that my dad sent me on my birthday, it’s of eight-year-old me. Everything I do is to be able to look at her, if she came up to me, and be like, hey you are doing good.

Source: roseandivyjournal.com

Ella Balinska | There’s No Hiding Here and That’s Cool With Us

In the many worlds of gaming, new beginnings are of endless supply. Run out of lives? Simply press play again. Make a risky move that doesn’t pan out? No matter; opt to re-enter this given world, or perhaps delve into an entirely new one.

An avid gamer herself, 25-year-old actor Ella Balinska knows this unique opportunity to restart very well, not to mention the know-how that comes with it. Balinska has parlayed her interest in the gaming sphere into a number of recent projects; her new Netflix series Resident Evil traverses the world of its namesake game, and she has a video game, Forespoken, as Frey Holland, on the way. This comes off the back of Balinska’s breakout role in 2019’s Charlie’s Angels, in which she embodied the fiercely independent former MI6 agent (the agency’s youngest recruit ever), Jane Kano.

Balinska is certainly not averse to a challenge, on or off screen—even though, unlike a game’s virtual world, we don’t have the quick-fix option to click play again. In this, she looks to the inherent potential of such new (and sometimes angst-inducing) experiences. “There is an argument that the height of freedom happens right at the precipice of fear,” shares Balinska, reflecting on her first time jumping out of an airplane a short time ago. The London born-and-raised actor checked this escapade off the bucket list while in South Africa filming Resident Evil (much to her producer’s dismay—although she did wait until wrapping to take the leap). “And that’s exactly what it is,” she continues, “you almost let everything go because you’re so out of control, that is the single most liberating experience. Because when you’ve got your legs hanging out of the side of a plane and someone else pushing you out, you’ve really just got to relinquish.

While we may lack unlimited restarts, there’s always opportunities for firsts. First times, first tries, first successes, first failures. For we all must keep on playing, seeking out the value therein. “You know what, you’ve got to try it all,” smiles Balinska. “To do what you like, do what you love. If it doesn’t work, at least you’ve learned something.” Balinska’s intent is clear: to keep trying, to keep learning, to keep living, all while relinquishing that little bit of control. It is, after all, only the beginning, and she’s open to whatever is to come. Here, she explains where the fire beneath that curiosity and openness comes from.

When did you first know you wanted to act?

I did acting as an extracurricular at school—I was always part of the drama club. Then I went to go watch Avatar at the Odeon in Leicester Square with my dad, and I remember seeing Zoe Saldaña play Neytiri on screen, and it was just one of the most phenomenal things. It was the first time I ever watched a film where instead of saying, ‘Oh, I wanna be an actor,’ I was like, ‘I want to be on set, I want to be part of the process, I want to be all up in it.’ So I’d say that’s probably when I was like, ‘Alright, let’s see how we can start taking this seriously.’

I understand you found your niche—if you will—in stage combat while you were studying? How did that come about, and how did you decide that was ‘your thing,’ at least for the time being?

I was an athlete before I was an actor, so I’ve always been very aware of how my body lies in space, as it were. So it almost came hand in hand. Like anything that you love, you kind of get a bit obsessed with it. So I did all the courses—stunt training courses, I’ve done my stunt driving accreditations, I’ve done the full nine yards! The shoe fit and I wore it, I guess. Which is cool because I’ve got that in my arsenal—there’s other things that I love doing, there’s other genres that I’m pursuing at the moment. But also for the time being, seeing as it’s working, we’ll stick with it!

In that vein, you’ve got Resident Evil coming out in July. The trailer was released a couple of days ago and has generated a fair bit of talk online; how have you found the response thus far?

I’m honestly so excited, because people talking about it is the best thing you can ask, really. It’s really great to see audiences who might not be familiar with the franchise be really excited by the property. Then there are fans who are so enamored with the lore and history of the game, no matter what emotion they have, it’s great because it’s inciting an emotion. And that’s what art is all about, so I’m excited for them to see it.

You’ve said that you were obsessed with Resident Evil (the game) growing up. What’s that like, going into a project for a franchise you’ve admired for so long?

The beauty of Resident Evil—this iteration of it—is that it follows the DNA [of the original], and the world-building has already been done for us. We know that there’s a zombie apocalypse. We know there’s an outbreak of the T-Virus, and we know you don’t wanna get the T-Virus. Because of that, it meant that a lot of season one is not exposition. It’s straight into the action, you’re just thrown straight into it—quite literally. So that was really cool, especially as a gamer coming onto set, knowing all of the who, what, when, where, why of the whole thing. And just feeling like every decision I made was really informed. Staying true to it. And I can’t take all the credit! All of the writers, and Andrew Dabb—he’s our showrunner—he knows the ins and outs beyond even my knowledge. Also all of the directors that we have on board, such as Rob Seidenglanz—he is such a Resident Evil fan. It was so cool—there were these really dark sequences, and he was so ambitious. He’d be like, ‘Right, let’s do this in one take. Or, ‘Let’s make it feel like the visuals when playing the game, looking around corridors and you’ve got a restricted view.’ He was really able to implement that knowledge into the creative decisions. It was really cool.

I saw that Dabb has said the show stays quite true to the games, even more so than the films—I look forward to seeing that play out on screen. And obviously you shot this show about an outbreak during the pandemic, so it’s all very meta.

You hit the nail on the head—you know how weird it is, running for your life, being like, ‘Ah, pandemic! Cut, and then, Ah, pandemic!’

What was that experience like, both as an actor and as a human, living through a global pandemic? Did it create a sense of catharsis, or just make that time even more taxing?

You know, it’s interesting because it made me dip into a process that I hadn’t really explored before. I like to make sure that I’m fully focused in my character during the day, but that when I get home, I’m back to being just Ella Balinska, watching Alice in Borderland on Netflix. But, the thing about this is that, like you say, it was so meta. So a lot of the feelings that I was feeling as a person—South Africa was so beautiful but I was so far from home, and I couldn’t go back. So using some of those emotions to feel the character was an interesting choice that I made, which I think really paid off. My character, Jade Wesker, she’s been separated from her family, and she’s trying to get back, which is similar to Ella Balinska, who had also been separated from her family. Definitely the emotional connection to this character, on a very visceral level, was really authentic. So drawing from that experience I think just adds to the truth of my character’s plight to survive.

As you’ve said, you’re very into gaming. How did you initially discover that hobby—and do you think that interest now influences your acting, and the types of roles that you do seek out?

My mum used to go and get her hair done, and that used to take a while—nothing better than two empowered Black women chatting whilst hair is being braided, needless to say. That hairdresser had a son, and I used to play video games with him in his room. We used to play Mario, Smash Bros, we’d play Tekken, all those kinds of games. I think that was really cool because with those games, you could always personalize your character. Especially something like Tekken, where, once you unlock them all, there are so many characters to choose from. I remember I’d always be picking characters like Raven, or in Street Fighter, Cammy, because she was British. Just because they felt like me.

I’ve got a video game coming out as well, which is very much in the gaming realm. As is Resident Evil—I think maybe it does sway my choices a bit just because I have more of an affinity towards it. But also because, just gradually, I’m in this place where I’m building a really amazing loyal fan base, and it’s great being able to make them happy too.

Resident Evil is somewhat of a spin-off, and you got your first big break in Charlie’s Angels. How does it feel to get not only to recreate, but also to change the game, from those original iterations?

I always talk about the little eight year old inside of me that wanted to go and do, you know, this. And when those opportunities present themselves, obviously you want to make choices which make sense for your career, and where you want to be in the future, what roles you want to take on. But it’s also about love of the art and love of storytelling and doing what you want to do. Resident Evil came and I was like, ‘I want to do this.’ Similarly with Charlie’s Angels, I was like, ‘What an amazing opportunity to play this awesome, empowered, near-superhero character who has such raw emotions’. And this is different to the other Resident Evil’s because you get to see so much about family, and what that toll has in the universe. And Jade is a survivalist—the difference being from when I played Jane in Charlie’s Angels to when I played Jade in Resident Evil, is that she’s not a trained professional. She’s a human being, like you and me, trying to get home without dying. And that adds an extra element of thrill and horror and challenge for me, because having been so perfected and crafted and stunt-trained to bemax for something like Charlie’s… to then strip that back and really just get down to my bare hands and surviving, was really exciting.

How did you gear up to take on your first big lead role in Charlie’s—and such an iconic one at that?

Funnily enough, for Charlie’s, I wasn’t overly stressed like you’d expect me to be. Simply because it felt like the shoe fit. When you’re auditioning, especially in the early stages, you’re always wondering about what casting wants, and what you think the director’s gonna like, instead of just giving your portrayal of the character—which is exactly what I did in my audition for Charlie’s. So it wasn’t like I was trying to remember what I did once upon a time ago when I went to go do my screen tests and meet with the producers. It was like, ‘Hey, this is what I’ve got, hope you like it!’ So when I went on set it wasn’t as stressful because I was just being truthful to the portrayal that I’d originally created. I always say that you are your strongest asset. Everything that you come up with, everything that you bring as a creator is so unique, and to always stand by it. One hundred percent.

You mention Forespoken, your video game—what was the experience of creating a game, versus that of filming a movie or TV series?

It is an amalgamation of everything I’ve ever learnt in acting, put together into one medium. It has the pace of film and TV, it has the world-building of film, and also the similar production schedule. Yet it has the imagination of theater. It is nothing else but you and your brain, covered in dots, all over your face and your body, with the headgear, with cameras recording your every movement. It’s in what is called the volume, which is nothing but space in a room. The volume is being recorded by infrared cameras picking up your movements as you go. So if there’s a giant dragon flying across the room, you’ve got to be the one imagining it and making sure that you and your peers are all on the same page. You all talk about it beforehand—it’s like make-believe when you were a kid. In the best way. You’re so connected physically with the character—it’s almost like you have to exaggerate some things so that it reads in space. But then, when you’re filming TV and film, you have a 100 MM lens looking at you giving an emotional performance. However, you don’t know how it’s going to be cut, so there are some things you can get away with, so you’d think! With Mocap [Motion Capture], there is nothing lost. It’s on your face the whole time, tracking every movement. There’s no hiding.

You’ve spoken about seeking out projects that allow you to help increase inclusivity—the gaming space is certainly one which has lacked diversity. Could you speak a bit about what it means to you to play the lead in a video game?

I mentioned before about the power of being able to pick a character that looks or sounds or even has a sensation of you. And to know that I am potentially that person for an entire generation of people is really heart-warming for me, because it’s something that I would have adored to have seen when I was younger. And even for people who aren’t gamers, it’s knowing that we’re taking up that space. Knowing that I can use my platform in an amazing way, and choose roles in my career that push the needle in the right way, in the right direction, is very fulfilling.

What would be your dream project—is there a particular type of role that you’d like to tap into in the future?

I’ve got quite a lot in the pipeline now, I’m very excited. The pandemic has been an interesting one because there has been a sort of industry bottleneck of stuff that was supposed to be made a few years now that’s being made now. But it has allowed me to really sit down and think about the choices that I’m making: read scripts, take time, speak to the creatives without the pressure of there being a production deadline. I’ve got some really great things lined up which are just different; different to the action. I’ve got a drama, I’ve got comedy, I’ve got this survival film [The Occupant], which is probably one of the most visceral performances I will potentially ever give. We’re filming in the snow—enough said.

On the topic of ‘trying it all’—what’s one thing you hope to try for the first time soon?

On the point of relinquishing control, I think over the last couple of years we’ve all had time to sit and reflect and learn more about ourselves and each other, and how we negotiate everything around us. I’m really excited about being more present. Thinking ahead is an amazing quality, to be able to sort of act preemptively, and have things all figured out. But I’m finding a lot of joy in savoring the small things—waking up every morning and having the opportunity to try something new. And making sure I mark those moments! Celebrating with friends and family. That’s very important.

Source: flaunt.com

IN CONVERSATION WITH ELLA BALINSKA

Actress and producer Ella Balinska made her feature film debut in 2019 as Jane Kano in SONY Picture’s ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Next, she will star in Netflix’s highly anticipated live-action series ‘Resident Evil’, which premiered worldwide on July 14 and the Blumhouse-produced feature film ‘Run Swetheart Run’, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is slated for global release on Amazon Prime in 2022.

Ella, we are able to see you in Netflix’s ‘Resident Evil’ this summer, where you’re playing the leading role of Jade Wesker, who fights for survival in a world overrun by the blood-thirsty infected and insane creatures. What can you tell us about this highly anticipated series and your experience of filming such a live-action project?

It was so much fun. I’m a big fan of the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise, so to be part of this really warms my heart. We shot for a hundred days out in South Africa, and the art and props and costume and world building producers, they did such a good job of creating this post apocalyptic dystopia. My character Jade’s, the older Jade’s, timeline plays part in 2036, but then you also get a split timeline, which happens in 2022, where you essentially get to see the lead up and the build up to how the T virus outbreak happened.

You star in ‘Run Sweetheart Run’, which premiered at the Sundance Film in 2020 and will be globally release on Amazon Prime this year. In the film you play Cherie, a timid and hard-working single mother, who is set up on a blind date with Ethan. When things quickly turn sinister, Cherie must find a way to escape. What is the biggest thing you learned from this story?

The journey with my character in ‘Run Sweetheart Run’ was such an interesting one, because she was with me for a very long time. We obviously shot this at the beginning of 2019 and we had the premiere at Sundance in 2020, but then when Amazon came onto the project, they wanted us to shoot some extra scenes and change some of the narratives. So we actually managed to adapt the story even more and kind of give it more time for it to really develop. The premiere that we’re gonna have this year is sort of like a second premiere, because it’s an entirely new film. As for my character, she is tenacious, but she starts off not knowing that she is. She starts off just living in her little bubble, in her world that she knows, and kind of settling for her routine that she has. She’s not really asking any questions and keeping her head down. But along with her fight for survival she also discovers her voice, which is something that in a way is not just stereotypical and sort of cliche, but very empowering to be part of.

You trained at the Guildford School of Acting in London, where you graduated with honours. Recently you established a scholarship at your Alma Mater for students from the global majority – supporting and deepening understanding of cultural identity and authenticity whilst training their craft. Why is understanding of cultural identity and authenticity so important to you?

I think because it really lends itself to the authenticity of the stories that we see in life, on our screens. There’s always actors that plight to find truth. In my opinion that’s kind of how it begins, the truth of knowing yourself, knowing where you came from and how your culture shifts and changes and pushes the needle in the industry that you are in, and how you can in return do that and make space for people who are coming up after you. I just wanted to give sort of pathway for recipients of the scholarship to do so, but then there’s a knock on effect because if you go and see a play, you’re not gonna go see it by yourself, you’re gonna bring your friends. And suddenly there’s new writers being introduced into the curriculum and that’s really what I wanted to encourage where it might not have been done before. I’m very proud of it.

You have quickly became a voice for your generation and continue to break down barriers across multiple genres. In October 2022, you’ll become the first leading female of colour in a performance capture video game, with your role as Frey Holland in Square Enix’s new epic ‘Forspoken’ for PlayStation 5. How was it working on a project for Playstation?

I’m still waiting for someone to be like “Hey, she did it first”. So until that day I will happily take the batton. I am a massive gamer dork. I was delighted to film it because I’ve always been intrigued how those kind of projects are done. It’s such a different medium. With TV and film, everything’s trick is in the eyes, smoke and mirrors. You can make something else somewhere completely random. With video games however, it really is just you with some dots on your face, in a dotted suit, carrying a huge camera on your head and it is the peak of human imagination. It really is nothing but you in this space while building with your peers around you. So that really felt like it was taking me back to my theater roots.

‘Forspoken’ is an open world game. It’s got the fantasy and there’s an adventure story element that comes with it. It’s an Eza Kai style, so a character from our world that gets transported into another.

You continue to cement your place in fashion and philanthropy as well, notably as the Global Ambassador for the iconic Panthère de Cartier jewellery collection. What does this ambassadorship mean to you?

It is one of my biggest career highlights today. Honestly, not only to be the face of a brand that is so historic and iconic and has such unbelievable craftsmanship that goes into all of their pieces, but also the fact that Cartier uses their platform in a way that it really makes a difference. It’s not just some paid ambassadorship and then off we go, they’re actually out here trying to do good in the world.

I love the fact that I’m able to align myself with a brand like that. And also, it speaks to my personality too. I love a bit of a Panther, the strong, empowered woman making choices for herself, going out there and never being afraid to try and get what she wants. And I think the Panther is an incredible symbol of that.

In 2021, you were invited to join the British Fashion Council as a founding patron of the BFC Foundation Charity. Can you share with us more about this Foundation Charity and the projects you work on with the BFC?

It’s a kind of a similar reason why I started the scholarship, which lends itself to my industry in acting. But also, I love the idea that people’s culture and backgrounds can really shift the industry that they’re in and the British Fashion Council does just that. It empowers designers to put every single ounce of who they are into their work, without being afraid that it’s gonna be rejected simply because it’s not conforming to the norm. And I love fashion. I work very closely with my stylist, Jason Bolden, and we obsess over it. It’s another way that I feel I can help make a positive impact in things that I’m passionate about.

So when you say that you love fashion, I have to ask you how would you describe your style?

I’m very practical. I used to answer it like this maybe four years ago, and I’m actually standing by the same word. I’m always dressed for whatever I’m doing for the day. But also, in terms of when I’m actually being styled, I love clean, color coordinated looks. I love beautiful silhouettes that are quite strong, cause I’m quite a tall person. And I just really enjoy adding the finite details that sort of pull a piece together. That’s the part that gets me really excited.

Additionally, you also recently joined Clé de Peau Beauté as one of their newest faces. In your role, you will champion the brand’s high-quality products and support their global philanthropic mission that empowers girls to find their voice through education. Why do you personally believe education is so important for all the young girls?

Honestly, I think knowledge is power. Knowledge is putting yourself in a position where you are able to make informed choices that are great for yourself and the people around you. This is something that is so important. And I think every young woman should have the opportunity to be in that position. That’s why Clé de Peau Beauté’s philanthropic endeavors are so close to my heart. Women have such incredible minds. Some of the greatest inventions have come from these incredible female historic figures, and we should hope and strive to continue that pattern. This is an amazing way to help make that happen.

If you had to choose one woman in the world as the most powerful one in your eyes, would you be able to choose one?

I think the answer to this is actually symbolically answered in ‘Charlie’s Angels’. But when we women work together and come together and use all our incredible brains as one, we’re unstoppable. And I think that is something that is super powerful and I definitely have as something that inspires me.

What do you love to do in your spare time? Do you have any unique hobbies?

I’m literally in my little gaming cave. I love PC gaming. Because I live in the States and I have all my friends and family back home in the UK, it’s a great way to stay connected, but still having fun. I can log on during the day and the day’s just finishing off over in Europe and I can chat with them. I also love working out. I love fitness. And I love driving my car. I love stunt driving. I’ve got my two certificates of completion. I did motion picture driving and safety clinic, of which I have passed both levels. All of those stunts that you see in ‘Resident Evil’ with the car, a lot of them were done by me.

When you mention that you have all your friends and family in the UK, what do you miss the most about home now that you’re living in LA?

I’m so lucky that here in the States, I have found my tribe and I love them to pieces. I call them my chosen family. The thing that I would love is for one day to have both my family and my chosen family come together. It’s so frustrating that because of the distance I can’t make that happen right now. But soon hopefully it will and that will be something that’ll be very soul filling for me.

To have such people around, it’s very grounding. It’s important to have people who remind you of who you are and why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place, in any industry. To have people who can support you through when things get tough, but who can also celebrate you and be your biggest fans whenever you succeed, is invaluable.

Where would you like to see your career in the next 10 years?

I am in a very exciting place right now, where I’m sort of finding my stride in things. The roles that I’ve taken to date, I’ve done quite a lot of action projects, a lot of thriller action style projects. However, I’ve got things in the pipeline, which completely take a different turn from that. I’d love to be able to look back on a body of work and be really proud of everything that I’ve done. I always talk about the little eight year old that was inspired to be able to do something like this and hopefully there’s someone out there who looks at my work and looks at what I do and thinks “I wanna do something like that too”.

It’s important that you’re doing what you love, because then it never feels like work. At the end of the day, when I go to bed and I’m proud of the work that I’ve done, that’s when I know that I’m doing the right thing.

In your next big-screen endeavour, you’ll star in Hugo Keijer’s ‘The Occupant’, which is due to commence filming in 2023. This is also a project, where you will step behind the camera for the first time as a producer.

This is a new one for me. I think this is a great script to try and do that with. I’m very good at running for my life, so thankfully I won’t have to think too much on that side. That’s why I think I have a little bit more bandwidth to be able to contribute to a lot of the creative decisions, which I’m looking forward to doing. This story in particular, I think we can do it in a way that is so visually striking and so engaging, it’s got some great plot twists in it. So I think combining all of those visual aspects, alongside the performance and the writing altogether, it will be something that I’ll be really proud of.

What are you most excited about stepping behind the camera as a producer?

Just being part of the creative decisions. Obviously you work with the director and you find your character, but also I’d love to be part of the process more when it comes to cinematography and what can we portray about the character in this certain moment. It’s almost like less of a job and more sort of adding a person into the presentation at work, having another creative mind kind of make this project better than you ever imagined it to be.

What do you think is one thing that is missing in Hollywood at the moment and that Hollywood should portray more both in film and TV?

After the success of ‘Coda’ and how incredible that film was, I am so here for representation around disability in film. There was this amazing TV show ‘Love, Death & Robots’ that I watched. In season 3 in the episode called ‘Jibaro’ the story follows a deaf knight on a medieval night. It is one of the most phenomenal pieces of animated storytelling I have ever seen. I would love to see more of that.

With all the things happening in the world and particularly in the US currently, do you have a specific cause that is the closest to you and you would maybe like to raise more awareness on?

The philanthropic projects I’ve aligned myself with thus far really speak for themselves. I will take any opportunity I can to speak about girls’ education, to talk about inclusivity for the global majority within the industry. During the pandemic, especially in the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, it was a huge educational shift for all of us and myself included, because I’m half black and also half white. It was learning about my historic and cultural background, the significance of what BLM is for me, but also learning and understanding my half white privilege and how that ties into everything. It’s an ongoing thing, so I can only encourage people to keep that going and to keep learning.

You asked me earlier why is women’s education so important. Well, it also goes for human beings. Knowledge is so important, because it’s so powerful and we could be so much more empathetic and caring and compassionate with each other when we come from a place of understanding.

Source: numeromag.nl