Since the emergence of the first season of Bridgerton in 2020, the period drama has always gained attention. From the stories scripting to their costumes and the casting for each series that has been released, the Bridgerton team has done a great job at sustaining the attention of fans of the franchise. In 2023, they introduced us to a prequel that has broken records, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Series.
Queen Charlotte centres around the queen’s love story with King George III, who suffered from a mental illness present-day historians have opined could have been bipolar disorder considering his symptoms. The prequel explores how the emergence of a black bride effectively desegregated society while the queen struggles to understand King George and keep the throne in his lineage.
In the usual Bridgerton style, the casting is perfect and inclusive as the casting directors, Kelly Valentine Hendry and Cole Edwards, did a great job at not only searching for splitting images of the older cast but searching for elegant and great actors with African backgrounds. An attention to detail that earned Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story nearly 150M hours viewed in its first weekend on Netflix.
Here are some of the actors in Queen Charlotte that are of African descent:
Arsema Thomas
When the prequel was released one character that caught the eye of most people was the Young Lady Danbury, played by Arsema Thomas. Everyone was inquisitive. How did Lady Danbury become the strong, influential woman she was? What was her story? And Arsema Thomas through her lens played the role of Lady Danbury to perfection, and she really showed us that strong women are not born, but they are built.
So when it came to everyone’s notice that she was half Nigerian and Ethiopian with a Bachelor’s degree in Biophysics, a Health Policy Masters from Yale, and a prior job as an associate at the United Nations Population Fund, everyone was intrigued by how this 28-year-old activist and actor became an actor.
However, according to her, she had always wanted to act, so it was not hard for her to leave those accolades behind.
India Amarteifio
India played the lead role of Queen Charlotte. Aside from the uncanny resemblance, her poise and grace were one thing that made her stand out in the film. The British actress, whose father is of Ghanaian origin, started acting in 2009 as a child actress in theatre productions like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Lion King, Matilda the Musical, and more.
Over the years, the 21-year-old switched to screenplay and since then has featured in highly acclaimed films and series such as Sex Education, Doctor Who, Military Wives, and many more.
Adjoa Andoh
Although Adjoa Andoh was born in Clifton, Bristol, like India, her father, who was a journalist and musician, was from Ghana. The British actress who played the role of Lady Danbury has been in the acting space since 1990 with features in blockbusters like Doctor Who, Law and Order: UK, Julius Caesar, The Witcher, and more.
Since she made her Hollywood debut in 2009, starring as Nelson Mandela’s Chief of Staff Brenda Mazibuko in Clint Eastwood’s drama film Invictus, she has shown her range as an actor with her continuous portrayal of varied film characters.
Tunji Kasim
The Queen’s consorts were not only of African origin but her brother, Adolphus is also of African descent. Tunji Kasim, who plays the role of Adolphus is Nigerian. The actor, who was born in Aberdeen, Scotland moved to Nigeria soon after he was born, and he lived in Nigeria till he was 12 before he moved back.
He ventured into acting in 2006 with stage play as he featured in the stage play for Talented Mr. Ripley. The actor, who graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow has since then featured in many films, including Julius Caesar, Nancy Drew, The Good Liar, and more.
Cyril Nri
Cyril Ikechukwu Nri is a Nigerian-born British actor who is best known for playing Superintendent Adam Okaro in the police TV series The Bill. Cyril was born in Nigeria on April 25, 1961, but his family fled the country in 1958, prior to the end of the Nigerian Civil War that led to the death of nearly ten thousands of Igbos.
After he moved to Portugal when he was seven, and later to London, where his dream to become an actor materialised as he featured in a school production of Three Penny Opera. Since then, he has featured in multiple films, including Waking The Dead, Law and Order: UK, Doctors, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and more before he played the role of Lord Danbury in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
