When it comes to choosing her acting roles, Amandla Stenberg doesn’t take the choice lightly.


In her most recent roles – as the lead characters in 2017’s Everything, Everything (where her portrayal of Maddy Whittier got her nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress) and 2018’s The Darkest Minds and The Hate U Give – there are two things that are very clearly in common:


Firstly, all of the characters that Amandla play showcase characterisations of black women that don’t fall into stereotypes.


Secondly, they all also portray young people as being strong and with the ability to truly change the world.


And Amandla isn’t quiet about that fact that this is very much her intention – not just for these roles either, but also in featuring in the music video for Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ and as Rue in The Hunger Games in 2012.


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In her latest role in The Hate U Give, Amandla plays Starr Carter, a black teen balancing life living in a black neighbourhood whilst attending a rich, mostly white, prep school.


She’s successfully keeping both worlds apart until she witnesses her best friend get shot by a police man… and then it becomes clear that either she can continue standing in the dark and trying to fit in, or she can find a way to stand out and make her voice heard.


Read our review of The Hate U Give, here.

James Gilmore interviewed Amandla Stenberg about The Hate U Give, what she looks for in roles and Sabrina Carpenter’s role in the film.


Broadcasted exclusively worldwide on W!ZARD Radio Station.


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