Blacklisted Conversations

The return of the Summer Blockbuster is officially upon us with the release of Steven Caple Jr’s action-packed Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - making Caple Jr the first Black director of iconic franchise. This moment was a fulfilment of a lifelong dream for director, who fondly recalls falling in love with Transformers through watching VHS tapes as a boy growing up in Cleveland.

The charismatic American director made time for an insightful conversation with TBB on his UK press run. With his trademark openness, Steven spoke about honouring the legacy of the franchise, undergoing his own personal transformation in the form of fatherhood and opening up the Transformers universe to a fandom that is often excluded from the conversation because “Black people like Transformers too!”

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is in UK cinemas now.

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Teyana Taylor turns a powerful performance as Inez an unapologetic black mother, in A.V. Rockwell's directorial debut film, A Thousand and One.

Inez kidnaps her 6-year-old son, Terry, from the foster care system. They set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity and stability in a rapidly changing New York City.Described as a love letter to New York, and mothers. A Thousand and One has the talking awards for the woman we mostly know as a singer.

Speaking to The British Blacklist, Teyana tells us why all her life experiences have prepared her for this role, including mourning recent family losses, dealing with post-natal depression and what it means to be find that work life balance.

A Thousand and One is available in cinemas now. Coming to a streamer soon.

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Singer & actress Coco Jones has revamped an iconic character and made it her own!

Playing the iconic Hilary Banks in Bel Air the new series adaptation of hit 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Coco's version of Hilary, is down to earth, relatable, style goals, and the girl everyone wants as their best friend.

We spoke to Coco about playing such an infamous character and the pressures of being a woman who wants everything!

Bel Air Season 2 is available to watch on on Peacock via NOW & SKY

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After wowing us as 'Terry' in I May Destroy You the award-winning limited series from Michaela Coel, Weruche Opia's star power is rising!

Her latest project is opposite Patricia Arquette in Apple TV's dark thriller comedy series High Desert. Opia plays 'Carol'' best friends to Arquette's 'Peggy' an addict, who decides to make a fresh start after the death of her beloved mother, and gets caught up in a murder mystery.

 We spoke to Opia about how much her world has changed since I May Destroy You and working with Arquette.

High Desert comes to Apple TV May 17, 2023

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David Gyasi has been one of the UK's quiet secret acting weapons.

David's noted roles include series' Containment (2016), Troy: Fall of a City (2018), Carnival Row (2019-'23) and not to mention his film cv Interstella (2014), Hell on the Border (2019) and debbie tucker green's phenomenal ear for eye (2021).

He's back on our small screen in a big new Netflix show, The Diplomat. Playing Austin Dennison the UK's Foreign Secretaty in a world where his boss, Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) is rude, obnoxious, potentially dangerous and needs reigning in, and whilst dealing with all of that, he's forced to navigate a new friendship with the US ambassador to the UK, Kate Wyler (Keri Russell).

We spoke to David about the genius of The Diplomat's creator Deborah Cahn, his love of humans, and why he's not in his cat's good books.

The Diplomat season 1 is available to watch on Netflix now.

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Leomie Anderson is a supermodel, the owner of fashion brand Lapp the Brand and now she's got a new gig as the host of BBC's reality competition Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star.

Taking over from her good friend Maya Jama, Leomie is the narrator and contestant mentor in season 5, of BBC's hunt for the next best MUA. With everything you could expect from a show like this, each episode sees impossible tasks, fierce looks, critical judges and a rollercoaster of emotions as we whittle away to the final winner.

We spoke to Leomie about her transition from supermodel to presenter, how she found the confidence to speak out against racism in the modelling world, and, her dream to be on the cover of Forbes!

Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star is available to watch on BBC3 and BBC iPlayer

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After honing his craft on the stage, in productions including Barber Shop Chronicles, Master Harold and the Boys and Mogadishu, Hammed Animashaun has landed his first leading on screen role in the BBC comedy thriller Black Ops.

Co-created and starring BAFTA award-winners Akemnji Ndifornyen & Gbemisola Ikumelo Black Ops sees Dom (Animashaun) and Kay (Ikumelo) as PCSOs (PoliceCommunity Service Officers) get roped into going undercover to infiltrate a notorious drug dealing gang.

We spoke to Hammed about working with this career idols Akemnji and Gbemisola, the importance of characters like Dom for the image of black men on screen and the bad weather in Prague.

Black Ops comes to BBC & BBC iPlayer Friday May 5th

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Akemnji Ndifornyen is on a mission to revolutionise our TV screens. The BAFTA award winning musician, actor, writer, and producer has enjoyed success with this hilarious BBC sketch show Famalam that starred a slew of black talent including Samson Kayo, Vivienne Acheampong, Tom Moutchi, Akemnji himself, Gbemisola Ikumelo and more ...

His latest project Black Ops is a co-creation with his Famalam co-star Gbemisola, a comedy thriller which follows two ill-equipped Police Community Services Officers forced to go undercover and infiltrate a notorious drug dealing gang.

TBB's Nana Evans, spoke to Akemnji about the series ...

Black Ops comes to BBC & BBC iPlayer Friday May 5th

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Actor Toheeb Jimoh has come a long way. From a fresh newbie who brought sensitivity and humanity to the BBC film Anthony about the true story of Anthony Walker who was killed during a racially motivated attack. He's made us laugh as Sam in the multi-award winning hit Apple TV football series Ted Lasso, and now he's back in a dramatic role in the exciting book adapted series The Power currently available on Amazon Prime Video ...

From the book series by Naomi Alderman, The Power is about a global phenomenon that sees teenage girls wake up with the power to electrocute people at will. Toheeb plays Tunde a Nigerian journalist whose viral video of a group of Nigerian girls demonstrating their newfound power sends him on a journey around the world.

We spoke to Toheeb about the importance of representing his Nigerian heritage on screen, the power of TV and moving out of home for the first time ...

The Power season 1 is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video now.

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Today Nana & Akua reviewed Giles Terera's play The Meaning of Zong which showed for a few days at the Barbican.

The Meaning of Zong is written & co-directed by Olivier Award-winning Giles Terera who also takes the lead as renowned author & abolitionist Olaudah Equiano.

Based on true events, The Meaning of Zong is set 200 years ago centres around Equiano's efforts to get justice for the 133 enslaved Africans who were thrown overboard the slave ship Zong in an attempt to claim insurance.

Nana & Akua rate the acting, direction, story, set design and music of this powerful play Out of 100

Take a listen to find out the score

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