'Queen Sono' star Pearl Thusi is no stranger to action as she heats up the screen in Netflix's African series
For many viewers in the United States, the headlining actress of Netflix's first African original, 'Queen Sono', Pearl Thusi might seem quite familiar. After all, the South African actress is no stranger to the spy genre, having played one in ABC's 'Quantico' alongside Priyanka Chopra and Yasmine Al Massri.
In 'Quantico', Thusi played Dayana Mampasi, a driven, disciplined lawyer working at her parents' Boston law firm who was recruited by the CIA at The Farm. Dayana struggled to fit into the world of espionage and became part of a covert joint task force.
In 'Queen Sono', Thusi plays the titular character, a covert operative for the Special Operations Group (SOG) which is a South African spy agency. However, her character here is more Alex Parrish (played by Chopra in 'Quantico') than Dayana.
Queen is confident, suave and effortlessly completes her missions, though not always in ways that are expected. She also has a complicated past, being the daughter of Safiya Sono, a freedom fighter during South Africa's anti-apartheid struggles. Safiya was assassinated 25 years prior to the setting of the show.
Thusi first worked with Kagiso Lediga, creator of 'Queen Sono', in the 2017 film 'Catching Feelings'. After training for 'The Scorpion King: Book of Souls' and rewatching her fight scenes, Thusi was inspired to star in the "African version of 'Tomb Raider' and tell innately African stories", according to an interview with the Sunday Times. She approached Lediga, knowing what she wanted for the character and was confident that the South African writer and director could bring it to life.
Netflix commissioned the series after Lediga, Thusi and Diprente Films pitched it to the streaming service. Lediga felt that Netflix was the right fit because he believed that the streaming service was focused on bringing African stories to the world.
Thusi said in the same interview, "This is the first script-to-screen African Netflix Original, which is mindblowing for us. What makes this show great is that Africa has always been used as a backdrop for big shows and films but has never been the hero. For the first time on a global stage, Africans have the opportunity to showcase their artistry to the world. I think audiences will be very excited about this, creating a huge sense of local pride." Thusi hopes that when the show debuts, people will enjoy watching the African character who is also "a female badass".
All episodes of 'Queen Sono' Season 1 will release on Netflix on February 28.
