King Woman: Who is Tuso Mbedu, one of the warriors and revelations of this historical film?

Agojes forgotten by history books finally have the right to their own movie. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King recounts the journey of these Amazons who formed one of the first female armies in history. They operated in the 19th century in West Africa, in the kingdom of Dahomey (which corresponds to present-day Benin).

Born from the impulse of the actress (who works here as a producer) Maria Bello, the feature film carries Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, as well as a young actor who is not done talking about it: Tuso Mbedu.

Born in Pietermaritzburg, the capital of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, the actress is of Zulu descent from her mother and Xhosa and Sotho from her father. He was raised by his grandmother after his mother died when he was four years old. Although he intends to become a dermatologist, he has a passion for comedy, which he discovers by choosing theater as his second. In 2013, he studied drama at the University of the Witwatersrand.

The following year, he played his first role in the series. Isibaya, is very popular in South Africa. He continues to make his way through television Scandal! and There is Tunzi, a show inspired by testimonials from teenage girls. This series offers him two consecutive nominations (in 2017 and 2018) at the International Emmy Awards and allows him to be noticed beyond the borders of his native country.

In 2018, we find him in the mini-series Freedom. This co-production between South Africa and several European countries allows him to suit Connie Nielsen and Sophie Grabol, the heroine of The Killing. After the English series Suga, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean and got his first role in the Oscar-winning Barry Jenkins series, The Underground Railroad. She is Cora, a runaway slave in 19th century America.

The Female King allows her to continue her ascension by playing Nabi, an orphan who trains to become a great warrior: “She is a determined, stubborn young girl who has always strived to have a better life than her current existence”. His character’s name is a tribute to one of the last known Agozhis, who died in 1979.

Thus, Mbedu was unaware of the existence of these warriors before entering the project. He is delighted to take part in this epic, which offers a revival of this neglected part of African history: “I think that’s definitely there, the power of what we’re doing is getting these stories off the ground and saying, ‘Wait, you forgot this part’. And that’s also important, we need to find out more.”