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Cast ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’s’ Dominique Fishback in Everything
The actress and poet chats with us about her stellar performance in the highly anticipated film
After watching Judas and the Black Messiah, the new Ryan Coogler-produced film about the events leading up to the assassination of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, one of the immediate thoughts that came to me was Put Dominique Fishback in everything!
In her almost decadelong career, the 29-year-old New York-born actress has performed alongside actors like Regina Hall, Oscar Isaac, and Jamie Foxx, who said the young starlet is on her way to Oscar gold. In her latest role in the highly anticipated film Judas and the Black Messiah, available to stream Friday on HBO, Fishback portrays Deborah Johnson (who now goes by Akua Njeri), an activist and the girlfriend of the late Hampton. Speaking briefly over Zoom one afternoon, Fishback spoke to me about how she was hand-selected by the film’s writer and director Shaka King for the role, writing poetry for the film, spending time with the real-life woman she portrays, and bonding with her castmates, including co-star Daniel Kaluuya.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
