She first rose to fame as a Grammy-nominated recording artist, but Janelle Monae is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after acting talents in Hollywood. In fact, at her current rate, she has a closer chance to securing a part in the Marvel movies than ever before, but as whom is the question.
It was actually not until 2020 when the 34-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, native (born Janelle Monáe Robinson) landed her first leading roles on both the small and big screens as the central protagonist for Season 2 of Homecoming on Amazon Prime and in the mind-bending, politically charged thriller Antebellum. This, however, came after several years of experience, such as in her 2014 film debut voicing a veterinarian in Rio 2, 2016’s Academy Award-nominated Hidden Figures and Moonlight (the latter of which won Best Picture), and a supporting role in the 2019 Harriet Tubman biopic opposite fellow musician-turned-actress Cynthia Erivo.