Jodie Turner-Smithknows a thing or two about being badass on camera.
“I’m that person who throws myself into something,” says Turner-Smith, 34.
“I couldn’t always do those things because I had a life inside of me.”
Nadja Klier/Amazon Studios
She’s got roles ranging froman elite warriorin Netflix’sWitcherprequel toa doomed queeninAnne Boleynup next.
Not bad for a career that (accidentally) began as amusic-video dancer for Kanye West.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: WhyWithout Remorseand Karen Greer?
Amazon Studios
JODIE TURNER-SMITH:I thought it would be cool to play a woman so intelligent, strong, driven.
She’s down for the fight.
What did you bring to Karen from your research of Navy SEALs?
That’s not how it works.
I found it interesting to translate that to a female.
Are you a fan of spy thrillers?
I love them:Mission: Impossible, all theBournefilms.
I was very excited.
Queen & Slimwas released in late 2019 and spotlighted police brutality and the resulting movements against it.
What was it like a few months later, seeing those same issues playing out all across the country?
We knew we were having a conversation about something that’d been happening for a long time.
I wonder how the film would have been received if it had come out last summer.
It’s not a perfect message, but it was saying something.
Pandemic aside, what’s your past year been like?
It feels like you’re thriving, bothpersonallyand professionally.
It’s all kind of flowed really beautifully.
I was fortunate to do two movies right ahead of the world shutting down.
That was also when I wanted to shut down anyway.
I was so pregnant at that time, I basically got this glorious maternity leave.
Why was it important to you to blaze a new trail with her?
It’s like I manifested that.
What should we manifest next?
Kevin Hart, call me.
Dwayne Johnson, I’m here.
Watch our full interview with Turner-Smith above.
