Actress Thuso Mbedu has made South Africans gleam with pride once again after the release of The Woman King Trailer.
Working alongside the world-renowned Viola Davis, they bring to life a story of female warriors ready to protect their land from invaders.
The film tells the story of the Agoji, a real-life army of women warriors who defended the powerful West African kingdom of Dahomey for centuries. The movie aims to keep the memory of the powerful women alive and will hit theatres in September.
Thuso plays an "ambitious recruit" named Nawi in the historical drama, as the movie is reportedly based on true stories.
Sony Pictures released a new trailer for the film on Wednesday, with Thuso and Viola showing off their impressive fighting skills in the clip.
Parts of 'The Woman King' were shot in South Africa. Other local stars making an appearance in the film include former Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi, Siv Ngesi, Masali Baduza, and Makgotso Monyemorathoe. Beyoncé's song with Tierra Whack, Moonchild Sanelly, Busiswa, and Nija - 'My Power' - features on the soundtrack.
Viola revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that she trained five days a week to prepare for the role. “Weight training, sprinting, martial arts, and weaponry training for the machete. I like to say that I was the OG warrior," she revealed.
Thuso also underwent hours of training for the role.
It was all completely new to me and I had to exercise a lot of patience with myself. I got frustrated with myself and doubted myself A LOT but had to turn up and fight because so many people had seen something in me. We’re done shooting now and, honestly, this is just the beginning. I owe it to myself to get better and do better.
The Pietermaritzburg-born actress has been making quite the name for herself in Hollywood. She has won several awards for her recent performance in the Amazon Prime series, 'The Underground Railroad'.
And she is only just getting started! The Woman King hits theatres exclusively on September 16th.
