@thuso.mbedu for @vmagazine’s May issue (V130 - SUMMER 2021). Making her American television debut in @bandrybarry’s @theugraildoadtv, Thuso gave a master class in method acting. This series is easily one of the years best limited-series (if the 7 Emmy noms didn’t already give that away). [condensed version of my piece on Thuso below, read the full piece + interview in the pages of V130 or online at vmagazine.com] ...Set in the 19th century on a Georgia slave plantation, The Underground Railroad is a harrowing tale with an imaginative twist that will leave you at the edge of your seat. Portraying the series’ heroine Cora, a fiercely resilient slave who devises a plan to escape the shackles of slavery, Mbedu faced the challenge of diving into a realm so dark that its echos haunt the nation to this day. Before filming began, Mbedu began Southern dialect lessons, extensively researched America’s 400-year-long entanglement with slavery, and immersed herself in the life of enslaved people through written and audio accounts. “I would get so deep into research and because of the dark and heavy nature, I constantly had to tell myself to step away and take a break.” ...Mbedu brings Cora to life through a transcendent performance, and immersed herself so deeply in the role that, during filming, the lines between herself and her character began to blur. “I was feeling really low and having depressive episodes,” she says. “But I’d be like, ‘That’s not me’—it would take me a moment to realize that it’s the residue from the character’s mental and emotional state.” Therapy sessions, she said, were crucial for her to re-center after The Underground Railroad’s filming wrapped. Now, she’s vowed to continue using her gift to uplift her community and tell the stories worth telling. “Everything I aspire to do is with the understanding that I want to be able to give back to my community and tell their stories.” says Mbedu. “I won’t just do anything for the sake of being on television; it has to add value to my people.” From V130 (Covered by @Naomi) Photography: @chloe.chippendale Fashion: @misodam Editor: @overlyopinionatedblackperson Hair: @tedgibson Makeup: @karinamoore