Celebrity Coverage
Mamoudou Athie’s next act – The Essence
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 20: Mamoudou Athie attends the New York premiere of “Kinds Of Kindness” on the Museum of Modern Art on June 20, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Even though his face is already quite well-known, Mamoudou Athie is one step away from becoming a household name.
The Mauritania-born, New Carrolton, MD-raised actor has remained a fixture in high-profile projects since graduating from the Yale School of Drama in 2014. Even in case you don’t know his name yet, you’ve actually seen his work. Whether it’s as Grandmaster Flash in Netflix’s too-soon-dead hip-hop musical, as protagonist Elijah in Prentice Penny’s hit sommelier drama, as Wade Ripple in Disney’s , or as Ramsay Cole within the hit sequel.
“I’m incredibly lucky,” Athie says of his success on this field so soon after launching his acting profession. The classically trained actor, who also got his start on the William Esper Studio in Manhattan, acknowledges that his rapid rise to success was a mixture of exertions, timing and the collaborative efforts of many black actors who got here before him, breaking through established boundaries, stereotypes, industry discrimination and typecasting.
“I graduated in 2014 when the business was kind of taking off. I always think about all the actors of color who have been denied opportunities over the years, since the industry started,” he says. “A lot of people have done a lot of work so that I could have a fair chance at something. [like this]“Which is the real damage.”
The actor, who has already worked with stars like Jamie Foxx within the 2023 film, Neicy Nash and Courtney B. Vance in 2020, and Phylicia Rashad in 2020, also notes that his personal motivations pushed him to concentrate on auditioning for unconventional roles after graduating.
“The student loans were a huge motivator,” he laughs. “A lot of the roles you saw me in, I won’t say they didn’t exist, but I certainly wasn’t the first choice for a lot of those roles.”
You’ll rarely see Athi playing “type” in his roles. Unlike most young black actors starting out, he never needed to don an orange jumpsuit or stand in a police line. He didn’t play a T-shirt-wearing street drug dealer doomed to linger on the corner with few options and even less ambition. Instead, he was a very sensitive Brooklynite who found himself in barely absurd situations while attempting to deny his behavior on FXX, which earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination. He was an area alt-punk graveyard dweller who dreamed of a profession in hard rock recording in 2017. He was a gifted archivist who delved too deeply into an occult mystery long buried in lost footage in Netflix’s too-soon-canceled horror thriller, .
Athie often lands not only projects that tell queer stories, but additionally roles that aren’t necessarily written for a black man to fill. Yet he makes each character distinctly his own—to the purpose where viewers could never imagine anyone else filling those shoes.
“I want to be able to do whatever I want,” Athie said of being consistently solid in roles as people of color. “I went to all of these schools for a reason. Just like anyone else, we’ve earned the right to play things that are outside of our [perceived] life experience. And we can do it as well as or better than anyone else.”
His latest project, , is true to expectations, the most recent absurdist black comedy anthology directed by acclaimed contemporary surrealist, Yorgos Lanthimos.
“He could be a genius,” Athie says of Lanthimos, whose last film, released in 2023, earned 11 Oscar nominations and 4 wins.
“This guy is just so confident and unwavering in his vision of something,” the actor says of his excitement about working on the film. He says that despite not fully understanding the story — under no circumstances shocking given Lanthimos’ dystopian fantasy scenario, which the director famously never talks about — he was committed to growing as an actor and fully immersed himself within the exploration of the film.
“I saw this guy create something so unique and vivid and specific and full and terrifying. It just makes you excited when you see something so refreshingly unique and thoughtful.”
Athie takes on multiple roles within the film, which he says has pushed him to grow as an actor.
The film, which explores themes of control, sacrifice and desperation for acceptance, features wild plot lines and even wilder imagery – the whole lot from wound-licking to fatal self-harm and group sex – each delivered with a healthy dose of dark humor. The latter of those wild images involved Athi, demanding a level of enthusiasm for the role and trust within the director’s vision that he hadn’t tackled before.
“As an actor, you give up a lot of control from the filmmaker—your image, who you are, what you do—there’s a lot of things you don’t have control over. You want to do it with someone you can rely on,” he says. “And the scene isn’t a big deal. When I was shooting it, I was like, ‘Oh, man, what’s this going to look like?’ But then you see it and you’re like, ‘Oh, okay.’”
As he steadily took his acting to latest heights, Athie never overlooked the moment that showed him that this was the trail he would follow for the long haul.
“I did a play called when I was in my third year of graduate school, and it was really important to me,” he reveals. “It was basically about people and greed and money, and it was about humanity in a way that I found really intensely moving and deeply personal.”
“I remember going to Yale Hospital for a checkup and this lady stopped me. And the way she talked about how much art had affected her made me realize that this was a really worthwhile career.”
For Mamadou Athie, moments like this, which he has also experienced while working on projects similar to and , remind him what it’s all about.
“When you feel like there’s something that’s really at stake, that something’s really been said, that something’s really been explored about humanity, or that something can change someone’s mind about something, or open up someone’s perspective, or help someone feel better about something in their own life, you feel like it’s inevitably useful in a way that’s just so fulfilling.”
“Something about that moment made me think, ‘I can do this until I’m 80.'”
Celebrity Coverage
A Fall Hairstyle Rihanna Approves: Medium-Length Curls – Essence
Neil Mockford/GC Images
BobsLobs and pixie cuts, like Rihanna’s iconic short black bob, have been among the most beloved hair trends this summer. While these big cuts have been flooding our feeds all season long, this week the Fenty Hair founder introduced mid-length curls just days before fall.
Rihanna didn’t take the front row at London Fashion Week to have a good time the opening of Fenty Hair’s recent home in Selfridges. Her loose waves were parted to the perimeters, with the left half tucked behind her ear, revealing a chandelier-shaped earring. On the opposite side, the waves sat above her breasts — accentuated by custom Jacquemus robe— and rocked manicure butter.
To achieve this look, Fenty Hair Global Hair Stylist Ursula Stephen she washed her hair with shampoo and conditioner before preparing 5 in 1 heat protection type. She then curled the sections with a medium-diameter iron, pinning each section because the curls cooled. After resting, Stephen combed the curls and backcombed the roots for added volume, securing his curls with edge control.
The tycoon matched her hair together with her cherry-coloured makeup, which was highlighted Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Stix Lipstick in “Blaz’d Donut” and Snap Shadows Eyeshadow Palette in “True Neutrals”—turning this look into Rihanna’s first fall trend.
Celebrity Coverage
Best New Music of the Week: GloRilla, Monaleo, Shenseea & More – Essence
Happy Friday, folks. As summer officially involves an end, let’s enjoy its final days with some great music from some of the most talented artists in entertainment.
Today, GloRilla drops “Hollon,” the first single from her highly anticipated debut album. Monaleo and Kaliii team up on recent track “Flush Em,” iconic MC Lyte returns after a decade along with his 1 Of 1 album, and TDE’s ScHoolboy Q drops the video for “THANK GOD 4 ME” with . Our roundup also includes music from Lecrae, Future, Rich Homie Quan, and more.
Check out today’s list of recent releases below.
Celebrity Coverage
Arike Ogunbowale strives for excellence both on and off the pitch – Essence
Arike Ogunbowale during the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: Alex Slitz/Getty Images
In Yoruba, the name means “a child you cherish, nurture, pamper, and love.” So from the moment she was born, WNBA star Arike Ogunbowale was special—and now the world knows it. In just six seasons, she became the fastest player in league history to achieve 4,000 points and broke the Dallas Wings’ all-time scoring record. For an athlete who has achieved a lot, she still has so much to supply.
Ogunbowale was born in Milwaukee to Nigerian parents and was raised surrounded by sports. Her mother was a former softball player at DePaul University, and her brother Dare played football at the University of Wisconsin before joining the NFL as a running back for the Houston Texans. Growing up, Ogunbowale showed off her athletic skills in multiple sports, contributing to 4 state football championships during her highschool years. However, her passion shifted to basketball, where she rose to fame at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, earning accolades similar to Wisconsin Miss Basketball and being chosen as a McDonald’s All-American.
The point guard’s profession took off when she joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and eventually led the team to a national championship in 2018. Since being drafted by the Wings the following yr, Ogunbowale has earned quite a few accolades, including 4 All-Star selections and two All-Star MVP honors — the latest coming in an exciting game in Phoenix on Feb. 18. “I just love having fun and playing with a lot of super great players — that’s always what I look forward to in the All-Star Game,” she says.
Amid all her successes, the 27-yr-old understands the responsibility she has to influence the next generation. “I was lucky enough to have two amazing parents who always did the best they could for me and more,” Arike says. “I know how hard it is to get out of Milwaukee. So I always think that when I see little kids, I always try to be the best person I can for them.”
“I know I’m a role model,” she continues. “That just comes with being in your shoes, so I definitely embrace that. I want to be the type of person that people look up to. Young boys, young girls, young black kids — it doesn’t matter. I want to be someone they can see themselves in. So I know I’m a role model, and I try to treat myself that way because I know people are looking up to me.”
The past yr has been a memorable one for the popular basketball star on both a private and skilled level. After establishing herself as one in all the most prolific scorers the WNBA has ever seen, the one thing Ogunbowale hasn’t managed to capture during her illustrious profession has been a league title. As an athlete in her prime, a championship is something she will check off her bucket list in the very near future. Off the court, she reached a key milestone by announcing her engagement to Lala Ronay. For some, balancing home and basketball might be difficult, but for Ogunbowale, this latest relationship has been the perfect complement to her life.
“It really makes me happy,” she says of her decision. “My biggest goal has always been to have a family and kids, and now I’m a little closer to that. It definitely brings me a lot of peace and I feel like I’m headed in the right direction.”
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