PHOTOGRAPHS BY EKUA KING; STYLING BY DONNA WALLACE
If the word 'unapologetic' were a person, it could be Lashana Lynch. The actor has become celebrated for roles that reimagine the female hero – from her history-making role as the first-ever woman 007 in the 25th Bond film No Time to Die to the indomitable Izogie in The Woman King. It is anticipated that her forthcoming role as Rita Marley in the long-awaited biopic of Bob Marley’s life, One Love, will deepen her reputation for playing women who are captivating and complex, tough and yet vulnerable giants that she takes on in her own way.
And yet anyone who knows Lynch knows that none of this is by chance. Since the earliest days of her acting career as a young drama-school graduate, she has modelled a radical self-acceptance and confidence, setting out deliberately to perform roles that did justice to her talent and range.
I noticed this confidence the first time I met her, at a birthday dinner for the actor Naomie Harris, in 2019. I wasn’t familiar with Lynch’s work then, but I was immediately taken by her presence. In an entertainment industry that so often seems to foster competition and rivalry, these two actors seemed to have easily found solidarity and friendship. In social settings that reward outgoing characters who like the sound of their own voices, Lynch had a quiet, thoughtful radiance. I was immediately captured, and intrigued, by the sense that, whatever she was going to do, it was going to demand our attention.
A few months later, she entered no less a cinematic colossus than the Marvel Universe, as Maria Rambeau in the 2019 Captain Marvel; as 007 in 2021’s No Time To Die; in 2022 as Miss Honey in the Netflix adaptation of Matilda. And yet, as I found, sitting down to talk to her over Zoom in her filming location in Budapest, fame and opportunity seem to have only brought her closer to her roots, her creativity and sense of purpose.
Afua Hirsch: OK, Lashana, where are you? Are you working at the moment?
Lashana Lynch: I’m in Budapest, filming. I’m working on a show called Day of the Jackal, a remake of the [1973] film, that Eddie Redmayne and I are leading. It’s very exciting. I get to explore the world of MI6 in a way that’s personal to a Black woman, with Black hair.
AH: Now I’m super intrigued. It sounds like you’ve had a lot of scope to bring yourself to this role, and how you want to portray being a Black woman.
LL: I created the opportunity to become co-executive on the show. It meant that, from the beginning, I was part of all the conversations that are necessary to ensure we are protecting the space that we are creating within this industry. It has been a wonderful journey to be able to see Bianca, who I play as a real person, in west London specifically, which is where I’m from. I hope that we, as Black women, watch this and feel like a slice of our life has been included in this story.
AH: It’s so interesting to hear that you are using your leverage to ensure that the role you are playing is a real person who represents something. Have you always been so intentional about using your voice?
LL: Sometimes you’re talking until you’re blue in the face, and no one will listen to you. And then they realise afterwards that they probably should have listened, because it was in their best interest, and we weren’t being selfish. I come from a family that is very outspoken. I’m Jamaican, [we] don’t hold back.
AH: Was there a turning point where you felt you could start to make yourself heard more consistently?
LL: I found that if there are any women on set, even just one woman, I’ll gravitate towards them, and see how we can become a team. I learned early on [that if people aren’t] answering your questions, feel free to ask again.
AH: I met you first through Naomie [Harris], and I found it so beautiful how you two had obviously found a kind of friendship and solidarity.
LL: It didn’t take much for us to just look across the room and be like, ‘We’re in this.’
AH: You have taken on some seriously challenging roles. I was reading interviews you gave about The Woman King, about the physical training that was involved, and then thinking about Bond and just the physicality of Matilda [Lynch played Miss Honey in the musical film]. They’re so different. Do you enjoy the challenge, the metamorphosis?
LL: Quite frankly, I get bored very easily. And I cannot do the same thing twice in a row. I’m a Sagittarius. I always want a challenge, and if it’s not a challenge, and if it doesn’t scare me, then I’m going to get complacent. I know that about myself. I think it’s quite empowering to step into something, knowing that there’s a possibility you could get it wrong.
AH: Is the energy that you bring to the character partly from the challenge and the novelty of the role?
LL: It’s also about where I am in my life at that time. I was desperate to be a part of franchises [as with Marvel] because I really wanted to make my mark. That was an incredible experience. It taught me a lot and gave me more agency, more of a voice, and really gave me the skills that I needed to step into production on my own. I also wanted to educate the industry about how versatile Black women can be. I know that’s not only going to make it easier for me; [but] it will make it easier for the Black women that I hopefully work with more in the future.
AH: Do you think being a Black woman, and a dark-skinned Black woman with natural hair, radicalised you to take a stand early on?
LL: Definitely. It’s why my first thought coming out of drama school was, I’ve got to get ahead of the curve, or else someone’s going to teach me what I should be doing.
AH: Are you good at protecting yourself and your home life?
LL: I’m a radical energy protector: I don’t play when it comes to protecting my time, my peace and myself. If I need to take time, you won’t hear from me. I’ve had pressurised moments in my life that have forced me to pull back. I have to take a holiday or else my eyelashes will start falling out – and I love my eyelashes!
AH: Have you noticed a difference, apart from being able to keep your eyelashes?
LL: I’m someone who believes I can do absolutely anything. I don’t ever want to feel like the person that can’t do the thing. So, the more I’m encouraged that you can do the thing and also have peace and tranquillity [the better].
AH: I think a lot of us in lockdown learned the importance of sleeping, eating the food we want to eat and having exercise, but in the rush after lockdown we have forgotten.
LL: Coming from a working-class environment, you feel, ‘If I don’t continue going on this train, it’s all going to fade away. I wouldn’t have anything, I wouldn’t have any money, I won’t be able to come back into the industry.’ But, really, if you take a step back and give yourself time, you’re able to reenter the space with more energy. The to-do list is ticked off, but also my heart isn’t racing, because I know that I was able to give myself enough time to be me.
AH: I wanted to ask about whether you feel Jamaican? Do you feel Jamaican British? Do you feel British? And how do you navigate those influences?
LL: I feel Jamaican British at all times, because I lead with my culture for everything. I love the subculture I was a part of in west London. That was a special experience for me. If there’s anything that I represent, as a British Black girl, it’s west London, specifically.
AH: Thinking about your Jamaican heritage, I love the way you often speak about doing justice to your ancestors; telling their stories right and representing them right. Do you feel a particular connection with your ancestry?
LL: I genuinely have regular conversations with my ancestors – I can hear them, I can sense them. I can understand the direction that they’re trying to lead me in. I’ve taken their guidance on everything, and it means that certain things in my life look a little miraculous from the outside, but I know that there’s construction happening on the inside, and it’s because of them.
AH: What does the Bob Marley story mean to you? Especially as someone of such proud Jamaican heritage?
LL: I get the chance to peel back the layers of my culture through my work again and again. Doing it through Bob and Rita’s story is almost a personal love letter to women like her. I hope Jamaica can feel proud of what we’ve created.
AH: What was it like stepping into the shoes of a woman as iconic and complex as Rita Marley?
LL: Getting to know Rita, through spending time with her personally and on the page, has been one of the biggest gifts. Her feminine power is so apparent and mighty that my core has almost received a resurgence by playing her. I could retire tomorrow and feel I went out with one of the best decisions for my spirit, my career and my culture.
AH: I want to ask you about fashion and style. What gives you joy in terms of how you present yourself?
LL: Well, I’m a vintage baby. Anything between a charity shop and a vintage shop is my friend. I probably have too many vintage pieces. A lot of them are repeats as well – like leather jackets. What I’m learning now is that I need colour. I don’t want to be all in black. And I need a comfy shoe – DMs are my friend, or a trainer with a dress and an oversized blazer.
AH: Do you enjoy a red-carpet situation?
LL: I don’t find it as nerve-racking as I previously did. I think that’s because I’ve ensured that the people I have around me are just zen beings. We play calm music, maybe light a candle, and we eat some food, chat and then get to it. If the red carpet is for a film of mine, I’m excited.
AH: Is your relationship with fashion changing as you have more star power?
LL: I’m learning more about how to appreciate what I can do with fashion. When I was younger, I saw fashion as something to be aimed for. It was there somewhere in a very prestigious magazine that you see on a shelf – you probably won’t get there, but it’s nice to look at. Now, I’m learning about different brands, designers, line collabs that actually excite me. They represent me – the British-born Jamaican girl who comes from west London who has a lot to say but wants to be comfortable.
AH: I’m going to wrap up by asking you about the film industry. It has just come out of the longest strike in memory. How has that affected you and your thinking? Has it given you the opportunity to take a step back and reflect on your career and your future goals?
LL: It reminded me to ask questions about everything, to dig deeper and know what you stand for; know what your rights are for. You can lead with that. Because as soon as someone who is ‘in charge’ sees that you know what you’re talking about, there’s no way that they can try and go around you.
AH: Do you see this as trying to protect our future generations of creatives and actors? Enabling them to live and work and create and be respected? It’s hard to imagine putting that genie back in the bottle.
LL: I think that actors have been reminded of their power and influence. We’re the ones selling the projects. We’re the ones speaking someone else’s lines. We’re the ones who have to show up every morning at 6am and do a full day, to make sure this is the best project it can be. Without that, the project has literally nothing. I think it’s always a human challenge to be able to stand by the feeling that you get when you feel empowered, when you feel you can do something. There’s always something to fight for; then we’ll continue. The road is a tough one.
AH: Can you see yourself writing your own projects? Directing, even?
LL: I’ve been writing for 10 years, secretly. There are projects on my laptop, semi ready to go, it just depends on the amount of time that I want to spend finessing them and the amount of time I want to spend giving acting a back seat. Early in my career, I wrote two short plays that were on while I was doing another play. Now I’m learning about how to manage being on set all day, and then making sure I get my home life in order in the evenings. I will take my time. And it will be on time when it arrives.
This interview appears in the February 2024 issue of ELLE UK.
‘Bob Marley: One Love’ is released on February 14 nationwide; head to ellecollective.co.uk to win tickets to a special screening.
