Cast Detail: Thuso Mbedu

This spring, rising star actress Thuso Mbedu will star as the lead role of 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. Joel Egerton and Aaron Pierre serve as Mbedu’s co-stars in the series.

An established actress in South Africa, Mbedu was nominated for her 2nd International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in 2018 for her breakout performance on the series Is’Thunzi. She wo

This spring, rising star actress Thuso Mbedu will star as the lead role of 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. Joel Egerton and Aaron Pierre serve as Mbedu’s co-stars in the series.

An established actress in South Africa, Mbedu was nominated for her 2nd 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 and was nominated for Best Young Actress at the IARA (International Achievement Recognition Awards) 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.

Mbedu currently splits her time between Los Angeles and South Africa.