The last time Thuso Mbedu sat down with FORBES AFRICA for an interview, it was when the South African actor had made it on to the FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 list, class of 2018.
“A lot has happened since,” she says now, as we meet her at the offices of L’Oréal, situated north of Johannesburg in South Africa. “Because right after that, in 2019, I got the opportunity to go to the United States, I got my first show there. And then I’ve been there since 2019; working, learning, growing, wanting to experience everything and adjusting and figuring out life outside of South Africa. But also building towards that, which I’ve always wanted to achieve.”
Since her big move to the global stage, Mbedu has worked with award-winning Hollywood A-lister Viola Davis (The Woman King) and joined the cast of the animated series, Castlevania: Nocturne. Recently, the internationally-acclaimed actor was also appointed the first sub- Saharan Africa ambassador for beauty brand, L’Oréal Paris.
Looking back on her role as Winnie in the Is’thunzi TV series in 2016, which catapulted her to stardom and earned her two International Emmy Award nominations, Mbedu speaks about the beauty standards in the film and television industry.
“Growing up, one never saw oneself as beautiful – I could never have imagined that one day I would have the honor,” Mbedu says. “L’Oréal is a brand that stands for women’s empowerment, with a strong sense of diversity, sisterhood, and feminism… To find a brand that actively has gone out of their way to try forming relationships with people who look like me, and go so far as to pick an ambassador of my particular shade, means things are changing, and they’re changing for the better.”
Across the world, conversations regarding beauty standards and representation have become more prevalent in recent years. For Mbedu, part of being an ambassador for the global brand is unpacking these standards and looking forward to “being more educated” about them and as she concludes, “reminding people that regardless of who you are, regardless of where you come from; you are deserving of what the world has to offer”.