Awards season is a wrap! With the Oscar winners announced back on the 15th of March, Black cinema received great recognition. Sinners won the Best Actor Oscar for Michael B. Jordan, an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, and Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw—the first woman in history to win the award. Along with sweeping the BAFTAs, it also made history by becoming the most Oscar-nominated movie of all time, breaking the record with 16 nominations.
Now. Let’s turn our attention to Black actresses. With Teyana Taylor and Wunmi Mosaku becoming Oscar nominees for Best Actress, and each winning prestigious awards for their supporting roles leading up to the final awards show (Taylor, Golden Globes; Mosaku, BAFTA), it was lovely to see Black actresses getting their flowers. What especially had Black women talking, however, was how this momentum may carry over into future blockbusters—especially for darker-skinned actresses.
The casting of Wunmi Mosaku and Jayme Lawson in Coogler’s Sinners had Black women excited, and for good reason. Mosaku and Lawson are two dark-skinned women who play major love interests to the film’s main male leads, something that even in our modern day of 2026 is rare to see in mainstream cinema. When it comes to Black women characters in cinema, there is a gap in the type of roles we get to see those of darker hues play. Often, Black women with darker skin are limited to “the strong Black woman trope” or are cast in suffering archetypes—roles defined by labor or tragedy rather than desire, whimsy, or adventure. Rarely do we get to see them in the same flowery or romantic spaces that lighter-skinned actresses, as well as non-Black actresses, often occupy.
But this year, darker-skinned actresses are starring in trope-bending roles. From break-out stars to established artists, there is immense talent among these women, talent that should get to play diverse roles, talent that should get to grace the screen more, and talent—to be unabashedly frank—that we Black women would pay tickets to see.
So, whether you are a Black woman or not, let’s be on the look out for the darker-hued women who are glowing our screens (or Broadway) this year:
Wunmi Mosaku: The Oscar Nominee and BAFTA winner of Best Supporting Actress for her role as Annie in Sinners is also set to star in The Social Network’s highly anticipated sequel, The Social
Reckoning. Beyond the screen, Mosaku is expanding her influence into the fashion world with the
launch of her maternity clothing line, Iyadé (meaning “mother has arrived” in Yoruba) as her
response to what she found to be a lack of stylish fashion options for soon-to-be mothers.
Jayme Lawson also starred in Sinners as Pearline, a sophisticated woman desiring adventure in life, and wowed us with her killer voice. Lawson will be starring in the 2026 adaptation of The Running Man alongside Glenn Powell as his character’s wife, Sheila Richards.
Joy Sunday: Known for her role as “queen bee” siren Bianca Barclay in Netflix’s hit series Wednesday, Sunday plays a principal role as investigator Jodie Plumb in the new HBO dark comedy miniseries DTF St. Louis. Starring alongside Jason Bateman, the series premiered on March 1, 2026. Her makeup looks are colorful, unique, and undeniable both in character as Bianca in Wednesday and as herself IRL.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph: Randolph continues her momentum after sweeping all the Best Supporting Actress awards back in 2024 for her role as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers. Last year she starred in Eternity, and her most recent film, The Gallerist, a dark comedy in which she plays a rising artist named Stella Burgess, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2026 and is scheduled for a major theatrical release later this year.
Thuso Mbedu: Following her powerful lead in The Woman King, Mbedu has been cast as the lead, Zélie, in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s epic afro-fantasy series Children of Blood and Bone.
Lashana Lynch: The Captain Marvel, The Woman King, No Time to Die, and The Day of The Jackal actress is the leading face of the sci-fi horror project Directive 8020, releasing May 12, 2026. She plays the protagonist, an astronaut named Young, in a story that puts her at the center of a high-stakes survival mission.
Teyonah Parris: The MCU’s Monica Rambeau actress is starring in the 2026 action-adventure film Matchbox, an adaptation based on Mattel’s famous toy cars. She is also expected to continue her work in major franchises, with reports linking her to upcoming blockbuster projects later this year.
Lupita Nyong’o: In a significant casting move, Academy Award-winner Nyong’o is set to play Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey, scheduled for release in 2026. Might we also see her returning to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday, as well as Black Panther 3?
Danai Gurira: The Black Panther and Wakanda Forever actress will be joining fellow MCU star Teyonah Parris in Matchbox, premiering October 9 on Apple TV+. There is also high anticipation on what her character’s role might be should she return for Avengers: Doomsday.
Anna Diop: Following her role in The Book of Clarence, Diop has joined the cast of the Prime Video series Scarpetta. Starring alongside Nicole Kidman, the series premiered on March 11, 2026.
Sheila Atim: Atim is set to play the iconic vampire queen Akasha in the upcoming 2026 season of The Vampire Lestat.
KiKi Layne: Coming offThe Old Guard franchise, the If Beale Street Could Talk and Coming 2 America actress is set to star in The Boys prequel series, Vought Rising.
Jodie Turner-Smith: Coming off of TRON: Ares, where she played the fierce enforcer Athena, Turner-Smith continues to lead high-concept projects, including the upcoming thriller, Brides. She also recently appeared in the “Opalite” music video for Taylor Swift, maintaining her presence across both film and media.
Michaela Coel: In April 2026, Coel leads the heist comedy The Christophers as a specialized art forger. She also stars alongside Anne Hathaway in the A24 pop-melodrama Mother Mary. Beyond acting, she is currently set to write and direct a reimagined version of Bloodsport for A24.
Gabrielle Union: A mainstay in the industry for over twenty years, Union bridges her iconic legacy with two major 2026 roles. She recently voiced the “all-star” panther Jett Fillmore in the animated movie Goat and plays the mysterious manager Sharon in the new horror film Forbidden Fruits. Following its buzzy premiere at the SXSW festival this month, the movie is set for a wide theatrical release on March 27.
Lovie Simone and Xosha Roquemore: Netflix’s Forever, starring Simone as the lead, Keisha, and Roquemore as her mother, Shelly, has officially been renewed for a second season. The 2025 teen romance series is a rare, critically acclaimed gem that centers a dark-skinned Black girl in a story exploring the beauty of first love.
Cynthia Erivo: Following the Wicked duology, Erivo is currently in London performing a one-woman version of Dracula at the Noël Coward Theatre, running from February through May 2026.
Ayo Edebiri: The Emmy-winning actress is making her Broadway debut this year. She will be starring as Catherine in the revival of the play Proof at the Booth Theatre, performing alongside Don Cheadle, as well as Tony-award winner Kara Young.
Mallori Johnson: And speaking of Kara Young, Young costars alongside Mallori Johnson in the movie adaptation of the Broadway play Is God Is as twins on a journey of revenge. Johnson has previously starred as the lead in the 2022 series adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred and will also play Edwina in the 2026 series adaptation of Vladimir by Julia May Jones.
Rutina Wesley: Though no official confirmation, Queen Sugar and HBO’s The Last of Us star is anticipated to return to her role in the latter’s season three.+
Leticia Wright: Our Black Pantheress. Expect to see her in Avengers: Doomsday. She’s also recently done a Prada campaign with fellow MCU star Benedict Cumberbatch.
Quinta Bruson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Janelle James: Four-time Emmy-award-winner Abbot Elementary has been renewed for a sixth season, with Emmy award-winning Bruson and Ralph, along with four time Emmy nominee James.
Aisha Hinds: Hinds won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 2026 NAACP for her portrayal of Henrietta “Hen” Wilson on 911, which she has been a cast member of for nine seasons. Fans of the show are currently invested in her character’s new storyline battling dermatomyositis. Hinds’ gorgeous pics capturing her special day are available on her Instagram page.
Denée Benton: The Gilded Age‘s Peggy Scott actress will be returning for the HBO show’s fourth season. For dark-skinned Black women who feel a lack of inclusion in Bridgerton’s romantic roles—despite that show’s “inclusive” branding—Benton’s character offers a refreshing alternative while featuring an underexplored history of the late-19th century Black elite.
Notable Shout-Outs: While they may not have confirmed 2026 theatrical dates just yet, actresses like Ryan Destiny (The Fire Inside), Dominique Thorne(Ironheart), Dominique Fishback (Swarm), and Vivian Oparah (Rye Lane) have already done the work of proving they can carry major titles. Will we get to see them as the stars of more new projects? Keep an eye on their next moves! And cheers to familiar faces such as Issa Rae, who, like Michaela Coel, made her own way; Marsai Martin, the youngest to ever become a Hollywood executive producer; iconic multi-talented musician-actresses like Janelle Monáe and Brandy Norwood; How to Get Away with Murder star Aja Naomi King; Tika Sumpter, a household name in Black media, and Keke Palmer, who many of us grew up with. Lastly, we can’t forget the dark-skinned actresses who paved the way, such as Cicely Tyson, Loretta Devine, Whoopi Goldberg, Alfre Woodard, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer, who have given top-tier performances throughout their career.
Author’s Note: While this list highlights the women currently defining the 2026 season, it is by no means an exhaustive catalog of every dark-skinned actress working today or in the past. While these specific roles represent a shift toward more diverse storytelling, the industry’s track record with casting dark-skinned women in lead and romantic roles remains lacking. Yet, look at all the talent we have! The industry does not lack for dark-skinned actresses; rather, it is studios that need to catch up to the talent and finally reflect them on our screens.
Don’t be mistaken—we love our Black actresses of ALL shades. Brown is an expansive spectrum—it isn’t just “light” and “dark”. Black actresses who fall into a diverse range of brown shades in between such as Angela Basset, Taraj P. Henson, Queen Latifa, Nia Long, Regina King, Regina Hall, Anika Noni Rose, Yaya DaCosta, Teyona Taylor, and Halle Bailey hold just as much star power energy and impact as the actresses cited above, all while navigating the industry as Black women. But it’s Hollywood’s eyes that we want to be opened to the fact that the light is also dark, and we darker-skinned women crave to also see ourselves on major screens as flowery, romantic, playful, mysterious, adventurous, fancy, and epic—just the way any other woman is allowed to.