New Hollywood Podcast: Jodie Turner-Smith Talks Cultural Identity And Social Impact Of ‘Queen & Slim’

Dino-Ray Ramos and Amanda N'Duka

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Jodie Turner-Smith started off in modeling and has appeared in TV series such as Nightflyers, The Last Ship and True Blood and has appeared in feature films like The Neon Demon. She now stars opposite Daniel Kaluuya in the Melina Matsoukas-directed Queen & Slim written by Lena Waithe (opening November 27). The film is garnering critical acclaim and awards season buzz for shedding an authentic light on the Black experience, flipping the script on the timely narrative about police violence against the Black community. As her first lead role in a major feature film, Turner-Smith stopped by Deadline’s New Hollywood Podcast to tell us all about it.

Born in the United Kingdom to Jamaican parents, Turner-Smith’s career started in the world of modeling before she went on to acting (she tells us all about her time in the vampiric world of True Blood). With Queen & Slim as her first lead role, Turner-Smith is kicking down the door with a story that is socially poignant and holds such an incredible amount of emotional weight. (by the way…her dad works in law enforcement). She talked about how the film changed her perspective on identity and moral choices and how it empowers all marginalized communities. Listen to the episode below (there may be minor Queen & Slim spoilers in the episode, so you have been warned).

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