The Black Lives Matter movement continues the conversation around the racial inequality faced by Black people every day. Even though time has passed, it is still important to keep the conversation running about the equality and misrepresentation of Black women in Hollywood.
Even though TV and movie productions have predominantly favored white talent and storylines, there are Black female leads who have revolutionized TV and films through their extreme talent and gifted performances. From the work of the young Marsai Martin to that of the extremely talented Viola Davis, here are some of the best from recent years.
Updated on February 25th, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: The representation and equality of Black actors in the movie and television industry needs to continue to be at the forefront of conversations of Black equality in the wider entertainment industry. Although there's still so much work to be done in every aspect of life to reach true equality and the listening, conversations, and work needs to continue with the help of the Black Lives Matter movement, here are some great examples of Black women giving great performances in modern Hollywood. From Lupita Nyong'o in movies to Samira Wiley on television and Tracee Ellis Ross on television and in movies, these roles deserve all the recognition that can be given.
Tessa Thompson - Sylvie's Love (2020) & Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Tessa Thompson has starred in several movies in the last few years from the mind-bending Sorry to Bother You to starring alongside Chris Hemsworth in Men in Black: International, but two of her best performances have been in Amazon's Sylvie's Love and Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok. Thompson has been able to show her acting range with these movies. As Valkyrie in Ragnarok, she was the hard-drinking tough warrior who had her heart broken when her fellow warriors were massacred. In Sylvie's Love Thompson portrays Sylvie who is soft and romantic, but incredibly tough and confident at the same time.
Amandla Stenberg - The Hate U Give (2018)
Amandla Stenberg starred as Starr Carter in the movie version of The Hate U Give based on the young adult novel of the same name by Angie Thomas. The movie, and the book, follow Starr as she reckons with her own identity and finding her own voice when she witnesses her childhood friend killed by police. The plot takes real-life inspiration from events of police wrongfully shooting and killing Black people and the protests that follow the events.
Tiffany Haddish - The Kitchen (2019) & Girls Trip (2017)
Tiffany Haddish has shown both her comedic and dramatic acting skills in the last few years when she starred in The Kitchen alongside Elisabeth Moss and Melissa McCarthy and in Girls Trip with Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, and Jada Pickett Smith. The Kitchen was about three mob wives taking over their husbands' positions after they're sent to prison and Girls Trip was a raunchy comedy about four childhood friends going on an adventure in an attempt to reconnect after drifting apart over the years.
Zoë Kravitz - Big Little Lies (2017) & High Fidelity (2020)
Zoë Kravitz starred as Bonnie in the great ensemble cast in Big Little Lies on HBO. Big Little Lies is based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty and follows a group of women who all witness a tragic event at school and have to reckon with their involvement in the situation. The series is a great look into different women's experiences in their interpersonal relationships. Kravitz also starred as heartbroken record store owner Robyn in the Hulu series High Fidelity based on the book of the same name by Nick Hornby.
Tracee Ellis Ross - Black-ish (2014) & The High Note (2020)
Tracee Ellis Ross has starred alongside Anthony Anderson on Black-ish as the confident Dr. Rainbow Johnson for 7 seasons on a show that isn't afraid to bring real-life events into its plot and reckon with real experiences that Black people face every day. Ross has won multiple awards including a Golden Globe for her performance in Black-ish. Ross also starred as the superstar singer Grace Davis in The High Note and was able to show off her incredible singing talents in the movie.
Samira Wiley - Orange Is The New Black (2013) & The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
Samira Wiley first gained notoriety for her role as Poussey Washington in Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black. Wiley played one of the show's many LGBTQIA+ characters and was widely praised for her performance. After her exit on OITNB, Wiley was still able to grace audiences with her talent on the Hulu critically acclaimed show The Handmaid’s Tale. In the show, Samira Wiley was cast for the role of Moira, alongside Elizabeth Moss. For her role, Wiley also won the Guest Actress award at the 2019 Primetime Emmys.
Yvonne Orji - Insecure (2016)
Audiences are most familiar with Yvonne Orji’s character of Molly on HBO’s Insecure. Orji is a Nigerian American actor and comedian who got her start in Hollywood by competing in the Miss Nigerian American pageant. From then on, Orji worked to become a prominent comedic figure before landing her first TV gig for the lead role of Molly Carter in Insecure. After 5 years on the series, Orji has finally been recognized for her talent and has been nominated for her first Emmy nomination. Orji currently has a comedy special named “Momma I Made It” on HBO Max.
Danai Gurira - The Walking Dead (2012 - 2020) & Black Panther (2018)
Danai Gurira is most recognizable for her lead role as Michonne on AMC’s The Walking Dead. However, it was her role as Okoye, the head of the Wakanda army in Marvel’s Black Panther that catapulted her to big-screen fame.
Gurira would go on to appear in the Avengers Infinity Wars and Endgame as Okoye. As well as being a talented actress, Gurira is also a writer and is set to write an upcoming 2021 HBO production of “Americanah” based on the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Cynthia Erivo - Harriet (2019)
Cynthia Erivo’s performance in Harriet is a notable mention for Black female leads in the last decade. While the movie itself and its historical actualization was highly debated by critics and Black audiences, Cynthia Erivo’s performance was considered by critics as “powerful... and crowd-pleasing”. In addition, Erivo wrote and sang the film’s main soundtrack Stand Up which she performed at the 2020 Oscars. In the same year, she also starred in the Stephen King based drama The Outsider, which was well received amongst audiences.
Laverne Cox - Orange Is The New Black (2013)
Laverne Cox is one of Hollywood's most notable trans actresses best known for her role as Sophia Burset on OITNB. For her role as Sophia, Cox became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her stellar and vulnerable performance.
Cox also starred in the CBS show Doubt and since then has been involved in many of her own personal projects including Laverne Cox Presents The T Word, an MTV reality show which won her a Daytime Emmy.
Danielle Brooks - Orange Is The New Black (2013)
Juilliard graduate Danielle Brooks is one of Hollywood's most prominent TV and Broadway stars. Brooks played Taystee in Netflix’s OITNB and was hailed for her performance in the show’s 7th season. In 2016, Brooks starred in the lead role for the Broadway show The Color Purple playing the role of Sofia which was generally well-received. Brooks is also a singer-songwriter famously known for her song “Black Woman” which aims to encourage and highlight the beauty of Black women.
Uzo Aduba - Orange Is The New Black (2013)
Uzo Aduba is commonly known for her role as “Crazy Eyes” on OITNB. Her role as Suzanne has made her the recipient of two Primetime Emmys in two consecutive years. Currently, Aduba is starring on the FX produced show Mrs. America in the lead role of Shirley Chrisholm, the first African American woman to win the nomination for President Of the United States in a major party. Aduba’s role in the latter has been widely praised and is sure to grant her many more accolades in the future.
Issa Rae - Insecure (2016)
Through her performance as Issa Dee, Rae has pioneered the modern approach to Black millennials' lives and how it is communicated to a wider audience.
Rae has also gone on to star in the lead role of films such as Little, The Photograph, and Netflix’s Lovebirds alongside Kumail Nanjiani. Issa Rae’s career as a successful Black series creator and series lead has got her all the recognition this year with Insecure securing over eight Primetime Emmy Nominations in 2020.
Marsai Martin - Black-ish (2014) & Little (2019)
At the young age of 14, Marsai Martin had already broken so many barriers for young Black women and girls all around the world. A recurring star on the ABC show Blackish, Marsai Martin plays the role of Diane, one of the children in the Johnson family. However, it was her role as Jordan Sanders in the movie Little that catapulted her to serious Hollywood superstardom. Her lead in the film was not only highly praised but led her to actually becoming the youngest executive producer in Hollywood.
Taraji P Henson - Empire (2015) & Hidden Figures (2016)
Taraji P Henson is another Hollywood TV veteran whose lead role as "Cookie" in Empire catapulted her to mainstream media fame. Her lead role as the matriarch of the “Lyon” family truly made her a fan favorite and even led to her first Golden Globe win. Henson also starred in the Oscar Nominated film Hidden Figures about the life of African American NASA Astronauts which consolidated her status as one of Hollywood's most talented Black actors.
Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures (2016), Ma (2019), & Self Made (2020)
Octavia Spencer is an Oscar Winning actress most notably recognized for her work in The Help and Hidden Figures. The actress has also expanded her lead role talents into other movies such as Ma, for which she was praised for her versatility.
In 2020, Spencer also took the lead role on the Netflix miniseries Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam C.J. Walker, based on the life of Black hair care pioneer Madam CJ Walker. Though the series received mixed reviews, Spencer’s performance was praised and eventually led to her first Emmy Nomination.
Lupita Nyong’o - Black Panther (2018) & Us (2019)
After her breakthrough performance in the 2014 Best Picture Winner 12 Years A Slave, Lupita Nyong’o would continue to take Hollywood by storm. Just a few years after winning the Best Actress award, Nyong’o would take the lead role in Marvel’s Black Panther as Nakia and Red in Jordan Peele’s Us. Lupita Nyong'o's performances in both those films were well received amongst fans and critics making her one of Hollywood’s most sought-out actresses.
Kerry Washington - Scandal (2012) & American Son (2019)
Kerry Washington is not only a much-beloved American TV actress but also a Black female lead legend. Her performance as political strategist Olivia Pope in the Shonda Rhimes Scandal garnered her great critical acclaim.
As Olivia Pope, Washington would be the first African American female to star in a TV lead role in 40 years. Kerry’s Washington's credit doesn’t end there as she has also starred in “American Son”, a highly talked about Broadway show turned Netflix special as well as the Hulu series Little Fires Everywhere which got her two Primetime Emmy Nominations this year.
Michaela Coel - I May Destroy You (2020)
2020 may be going down as one of the worst years, however, Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You was the TV magic viewers needed to get through for the rest of the year. In I May Destroy You, Michaela Coel plays Arabella, a writer who, after a night out with friends, is left unconscious and unable to remember what has happened the night before. Inspired by Coel’s own experience with assault, I May Destroy You did not only receive great critical acclaim but also honed into Coel’s incredible gift of screenwriting and performing. Coel's previous lead roles include the dramedy Chewing Gum and political thriller Black Earth Rising, proving Coel has once again outdone herself.
Viola Davis - How To Get Away With Murder (2014) & Fences (2016)
Audiences were thrilled to hear that Viola Davis would lead a stellar and powerful lead performance as Law Professor Annalise Keating in How To Get Away With Murder. Davis’s performance as Keating won her a Primetime Emmy in the Best Actress category making her the first Black woman to win in this category. Viola Davis’s extreme talent and power in the lead role would not only make her one of Hollywood's most respected actors but also the first Black woman to have achieved the triple crown of acting with an Academy Award for Fences.