Select: ’The Woman King’ star cast in untitled FBI drama featuring other leading US acting figures…

By Monique Jones

South African-born rising actress Mbedu is set to star alongside Emilia Jones in HBO’s upcoming untitled series headlined by Mark Ruffalo.

Deadline reports that The Woman King and The Underground Railroad star and Jones will join the cast of the currently Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project, with Ruffalo set as the lead. Tom Pelphrey has also been attached to star.

The series follows an FBI task force situated near Philadelphia who cracks down on crimes in the area, including “a string of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.”

Mbedu will play Aleah, a Sergeant Detective who is recruited to the task force. Jones will play Maeve, the niece of Pelphrey’s sanitation worker character Robbie, who takes care of Robbie’s children.

Ingelsby will write and executive produce; Jeremiah Zagar and Salli Richardson-Whitfield will also executive produce as well as direct. Ruffalo executive produces along with wiip’s Paul Lee and Mark Roybal and David Crockett. Public Record’s Jeremy Yaches co-executive produces with Nicole Jordan-Webber.

Mbedu featured as the lead of Sony’s The Woman King opposite Viola Davis. In the historical epic feature directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Mbedu plays Nawi, an ambitious recruit who fights within the all-female military unit lead by Nanisca (Davis). The film was shot in Mbedu’s home country of South Africa and also stars John Boyega and Lashana Lynch.

Mbedu recently won an Independent Spirit Award, Gotham Award, and Hollywood Critics Association Award, and was nominated for a Critics Choice Award, for her starring role as “Cora” in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad, making her the first South African leading woman of a US television series.

The limited series is based on Colson Whitehead’s bestselling Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which the Oscar winner Jenkins adapted and directed. For her performance, USA Today called Mbedu the “series’ stunning standout, imbuing Cora with a deep humanity and empathy in her every scene, even when she has no dialogue.”

An established actress in South Africa, Mbedu was nominated for her second International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in 2018 for her breakout performance on the series Is’Thunzi. She won a SAFTA (South African Film & TV Awards) for Best Actress – TV Drama for her work on the series. That year, she was also featured on the cover of the Forbes Africa “Under 30” issue highlighting African leaders.

Last year, the Toronto International Film Festival announced their annual list of 2022 Rising Stars, including Mbedu as part of a select group of nine international and Canadian actors who are touted to make waves in the future. She was born on July 8 1991 in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, under the Cancer star sign. Unfortunately, her parents died while she was young, thus, she and her sister Noma Mbedu were raised by her grandparents.

Mbedu matriculated from Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School. From her LinkedIn, she is a 2013 graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand in Physical Theatre and Performing Arts. She also pursued her education in film and drama at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York.

In 2016, Mbedu embarked on her acting journey in the Mzansi Magic drama series Is’thunzi. It was a remarkable start to her career, and her dedication yielded significant recognition. She received her Emmy Award nomination for her role in the series.

Beyond her breakthrough role, Mbedu continued to shine in various television projects, taking on characters such as Kitso Medupe in the soap opera Scandal!, Nosisa in Isibaya, and Boni Khumalo in Saints and Sinners. Her impressive acting journey commenced in late 2014 when she joined the cast of the second season of the soapie Isibaya, and since then, she has graced both the big and small screens with her talent in numerous films and TV series.

Mbedu currently splits her time between Los Angeles and South Africa. –  Shadow & Act  and additional reporting by WSAM Reporter and The South African.com

ZAHARA – A RISING STAR DERAILED TOO SOON

HOMAGE: Family and fans battle to make sense of sudden passing, when much was still expected from her…

By Funeka Bambalele

The music fraternity, politicians and fans gathered in numbers at Rhema Bible Church in Randburg, north of Johannesburg, to celebrate the life of the Afro-pop star Bulelwa “Zahara” Mkutukana yesterday.

Mkutukana, who is known for her hit album Loliwe, died on Monday due to liver complications, triggering a massive outpouring among the multitudes of her fans across the world.

Her memorial service was marked by warm tributes to the singer for her humility, love and exceptional talent that touched millions across Africa. Despite finding fame in Johannesburg, hundreds of kilometres away from her native Eastern Cape province, Mkutukana still regarded herself as a country girl still navigating the fast life of a big city with a sense of wonder.

 Attendees included family led by her mother, Gauteng premier Panyanza Lesufi, ANC deputy secretary Nomvula Mokonyane, DJ Sbu Leope, Thembinkosi (TK) Nciza and many others.

Born on November 9 1987, Mkutukana heralded the music scene in 2011 with the album Loliwe which achieved great success, establishing the girl from Phumlani village as an instant star and repeating her feat with more hit albums. She was not only a vocalist, but also a great composer and guitarist of note. Zahara’s friend, Vusi Nova, paid homage to her with a profound church standard Lizalise Idinga Lakho – just before the songstress’s sister, Lumka Mkutukana, recalled how their family prayed hard while the star was in hospital fighting for her life. She also related how they all grew up singing in church, with Bulelwa taking her talent to the other level.

“A day after I returned from Joburg, having spent my time with Bulelwa, I got a call from her telling me that she was not feeling well, and she is dying. We came to Johannesburg, me, my mother and my brother. Honestly, we never thought she would leave us. But, on Monday, after we visited her, we got a call from her doctor. We rushed to the hospital again and she told us she could die anytime.

We sat there, praying hard until the machines started making noise signalling the end of her life. It has been hard for us to accept that she is gone.”

Mkutukana’s fiancée, Mpho Xaba, who recently paid lobola for her and had a traditional wedding, described the past three weeks leading to his sweetheart’s passing as hell.

“From the first night we met, we shared deep intimate conversations. From the moment I met her I realised that she was original and real. Meeting you restored my faith in love.”

South African Music Industry Council (Samic) leader Hector Mailula said they were deeply concerned at the rate at which local musicians were dying. “We ask ourselves why we keep losing stars of the industry. 

We are grateful for Bulelwa’s talent which inspired a lot of people. Bulelwa walked out of her village in the Eastern Cape with her guitar to conquer on bigger stages. She went on to conquer Africa and the world”.

Showbiz personality Somizi Mhlongo, who once embarrassed Mkutukana over her problem with the bottle, still felt rather awkward about his unkind remarks about her to this day, saying the whole country had failed the award-winning singer.

“I once made a joke about her, and I realised that I had hurt her. I apologised and we became friends again. Everyone here was laughing (at the time) and making fun of Zahara. Yet we are here today, pretending to be caring. We need to do better by caring for each other.”

Zahara will be buried in the Eastern Cape on December 23.