Adepero Oduye

Adepero Oduye, who gave a breakout performance as the star of Dee Rees' Pariah, hails from Brooklyn, New York by way of Nigeria and is a Cornell University graduate. Her film work includes acclaimed roles The Big Short and Twelve Years A Slave. On stage, she has appeared in Mfoniso Udofia's "Her Portmanteau" at The New York Theater Workshop, and "The Trip to Bountiful" on Broadway. Her recent television credits include Ava Duvernay's When They See Us (Netflix), Marvel's The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (Disney+), Five Days At Memorial (Apple TV+) and most recently the Netflix UK limited series Eric.

As a filmmaker, Oduye wrote, directed, and starred in To Be Free, her second short film, in which she portrays Nina Simone. The film is now part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.