Viola Davis Goes for Lead Actress and History-Making Noms for ‘The Woman King,’ Thuso Mbedu Campaigns Supporting (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comClayton Davis After two weeks of solid showings at the box office, excellent reviews and passionate fan responses, “The Woman King” has become one of the year’s standout hits, with plans to be competitive in the awards races for both major and artisan category attention.
One of the film’s standout stars, Thuso Mbedu, who plays the young Nawi, will be campaigning for supporting actress attention, Variety has learned.
Academy Award winner Viola Davis (“Fences”) will be the sole actress campaigning for lead actress. Mbedu, who was the breakout sensation of 2021’s Emmy-nominated series “The Underground Railroad” from director Barry Jenkins, will compete in supporting alongside her co-stars Sheila Atim, Jayme Lawson, Adrienne Warren and most prominent, Lashana Lynch.
All of the male actors, including John Boyega, will be competing in supporting actor. Beginning with “Gone with the Wind” (1939) duo Olivia de Havilland and winner Hattie McDaniel, who became the first Black woman ever to win an Oscar, we’ve seen a total of 35 films get two noms for supporting actress over Oscar history.
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