Thuso Mbedu Biography: South Africa's Zélie Adebola

The loss she navigated in early life has a visible presence in her work. There is something in the way Mbedu inhabits grief on screen — not theatrically, but as something metabolised — that speaks to a person who knows it intimately.

Education and Training

She attended Pietermaritzburg Girls' High School, then went to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), where she studied Physical Theatre and Performing Arts Management, graduating with honours. 

Later, she trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York — a significant investment in the technical craft she had already shown natural aptitude for.

South African Career

In South Africa, Mbedu built a substantial screen reputation, particularly for her lead role in the SABC2 telenovela Is'thunzi — a drama about a young woman navigating trauma and survival. 

The performance earned her back-to-back International Emmy Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in 2017 and 2018. 

The second nomination was accompanied by a notable comment from the Emmy organisers about the quality of her work.

She was also recognised with multiple South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) nominations.

The Underground Railroad

Her international breakthrough came with Barry Jenkins's The Underground Railroad (2021), the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. 

Mbedu played Cora — an enslaved woman on the run through an alternate American history in which an actual underground railroad exists. 

The performance was extraordinary in its sustained intensity, carrying every episode of a ten-part series that required her to be in nearly every scene.

The role introduced her to the world. Critics placed her alongside the finest performers of her generation.

The Woman King

Her second major international project placed her alongside Viola Davis in Gina Prince-Bythewood's The Woman King (2022) — the historical epic about the Agojie warrior women of the Kingdom of Dahomey. 

Mbedu played Nawi, a young woman who joins the Agojie and undergoes the transformation from civilian to elite warrior under Davis's mentor character.

The film was both a critical success and a significant commercial performer, grossing over $90 million worldwide against a $50 million budget. 

The creative relationship between Mbedu and Prince-Bythewood clearly worked. Their reunion in Children of Blood and Bone — with Mbedu now in the lead role — speaks to the trust developed on set.

Zélie Adebola

Playing Zélie in the Paramount adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone is the largest role of Mbedu's career to date. 

Zélie is angry, determined, physical, and emotionally ravaged — a character who has lost her mother to state violence and carries that loss as fuel. 

The demands of the role require both physical performance (extensive action sequences, shot across Lagos in intense production conditions) and the emotional intelligence to make Zélie's grief credible. Based on her previous work, the casting is well-founded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Thuso Mbedu from?

She is from Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

What is Thuso Mbedu known for internationally?

Primarily for The Underground Railroad (Amazon, 2021) and The Woman King (2022).

Who does Thuso Mbedu play in Children of Blood and Bone?

Zélie Adebola, the protagonist of the story.