The super-talented Teyonah Parris is set for superhero success as Monica Rambeau in The Marvels, but she’s earned four different awards for her acting career outside the MCU, as well.
Anyone out there wanting to sample her illustrious acting career should know that some of her times in the spotlight shone brighter than the rest. These films and shows prove why Parris will be a successful actress for decades to come.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Writer and civil rights activist Baldwin wrote If Beale Street Could Talk in 1974, and Teyonah Parris played a huge part in bringing this romantic drama masterpiece to life in 2018. The film is about a young woman who fights to prove the father of her future child has been wrongly charged with crimes before the baby is born. Listing the number of awards If Beale Street Could Talk was both nominated for and won would take an entirely separate list — which is just further proof everyone needs to see it.
Dear White People
This is the original movie that inspired Netflix to make a TV series with the same name. Dear White People combines satire and dark comedy to provide an illuminating story of racial tensions escalating on a fictional ivy league campus. Parris played Colandrea “Coco” Conners in the film. The movie was a critical and box office success despite its limited theatrical run.
Survivor’s Remorse
Paris’ time as Missy Vaughn on Survivor’s Remorse is unforgettable. LeBron James produced the series, which is focused on basketball, and how a family reacts when their son not only signs a major contract, but moves them all to Atlanta. The show is an amazing mix of comedy and drama, which deserved an even longer run than its four seasons on TV.
Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story
Do you know the songs “Ain’t Nobody Like You” or “Ain’t Nuthin’ in the World?” They were song by Miki Howard, whom Parris plays in the film. Howard started as a homeless teenager, and went on to become a legendary R&B artist. The movie is extremely touching and is a much-watch for any R&B enthusiast.
Mad Men
Pariss was a big part of this 1960s New York period drama, playing Dawn Taylor from seasons 5 through 7. The show revolves around the lives of employees at Sterling Cooper advertising agency. Now I get it, that might sound boring at first, but the ’60s were a huge time of cultural shifts in America, and the series’ writers painstakingly did all they could to be perfectly accurate to the period. To say the show had widespread critical acclaim throughout its release might be an understatement, and it’s absolutely worth watching if you haven’t already seen it.
Chi-Raq
How many movies are out there focused on gang violence in Chicago, but based on a classic Greek comedy play about wives withholding sex from their husbands to end a war? Parris stars as the main character, Lysistrata, from this story, alongside other major stars like Nick Cannon, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, and Angela Bassett. Pariss’ performance earned her a Best Actress award at the 2015 AAFCA Awards.
WandaVision
Alright, I know I talked up a big game about her works outside the MCU at the start, but not including WandaVision on this list would just be wrong. It’s the most acclaimed Marvel series to hit Disney Plus, due to its intriguing mystery and story elements. The fervor that swept online spaces when this show released was impossible to miss, and the show still holds up today. I’m being intentionally vague about the show for a good reason, you really don’t want to be spoiled if you somehow haven’t seen it yet!