Actor Spotlight: Amandla Stenberg Rising Star

Amandla Stenberg is a 14 year old Actress from Los Angeles, California who stars in the movie series "The Hunger Games as Rue. Named for the Zulu word for power, Amandla Stenberg is a force to be reckoned with. Born on October 23, 1998, she landed the first of her Disney catalog modeling shoots when she was four years old. Amandla has shot numerous national spots, most notably for McDonald's with Ronald McDonald himself, for Walmart with DJ Tony of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (LeVar Burton aka Kunta Kinte directed), and for BuildThe Dream.org. This moving, Boeing-sponsored PSA, which raised funds for a national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., premiered during the weekend of President Obama's inauguration in January 2009 on "Meet the Press" and other NBC/MSNBC programs.

On October 16, 2011, Amandla was invited by the MLK Memorial Foundation, along with such luminaries as Jesse Jackson, Tommy Hilfiger, Dan Rather, Stevie Wonder and Nikki Giovanni, to participate in the memorial's dedication ceremony. After an introduction by actress Cicely Tyson, Amandla paid tribute to the four little girls who were killed in the Birmingham church bombing.

In addition to on-camera jobs, Amandla has put her sensitive ear to work in ADR gigs for both film and television, and as a musician. She plays the violin, drums and guitar. In 2009, Amandla performed the violin with the Los Angeles Unified School District's Honors Orchestra at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex. Her involvement with the Rock STAR Music Education program landed her gigs at the House of Blues and the Hard Rock Cafe, as well as a studio session with producer/engineer Gerry Brown, after her band won RockSTAR's Battle of the Bands.

In the summer and fall of 2010, the actress shot her first feature, "Colombiana," an action-thriller starring Zoe Saldana whose character, Cataleya Restrepo, Amandla plays as a child. Amandla opens the movie, setting the stage for Saldana's cold-blooded assassin. The Luc Besson vehicle is quintessential Besson, featuring lots of daring stunts, some of which Amandla performed herself. On set to help Amandla hone her natural athletic abilities was David Belle, the French-born creator of Parkour. Next up for Amandla came the Hallmark Channel movie "A Taste of Romance," which she filmed in Los Angeles in February 2011.

In April 2011, Lionsgate announced that Amandla had landed the coveted role of Rue in the screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' popular young adult series, The Hunger Games. The news was greeted with overwhelming support by fans, and the highly anticipated film opened in theaters on March 23, 2012, to much acclaim and big box
office numbers. The Los Angeles Times noted "the presence of young actress Amandla Stenberg, who makes a powerful impression as 12-year-old Rue." Time magazine said Amandla "adds underage winsomeness as Rue," and Variety called her a "winning newcomer."

To promote the movie, Amandla, who was featured in a beautifully shot poster, and on the cover of Scholastic's Tribute Guide, traveled around the country greeting fans and signing autographs on Lionsgate's mall tour. She also conducted numerous print, television and video interviews with media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, People, Us Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Seventeen, Essence, Vanity Fair, E! News and The Wall Street Journal. Cited as one of Hollywood's young stars to watch by Rolling Stone, Paper and Ebony, Amandla has made her mark as a fashionista, landing on two magazine covers, Girls' Life and Justine, and earning kudos for her red carpet style. An avid photographer, Amandla admits to being an Instagram and Gifboom addict.


Most recently this cute 14 year old Actress Amandla Stenberg was named one of the nominees for NAACP Image Awards as Best Outstanding Actress for her role in The Hunger Games. We are really excited to see where Amandla Stenberg acting career takes her. Lets look at her resume so far in what should be a long, successful career.

Actress
2012 The Hunger Games
Rue

2012 A Taste of Romance (TV movie)
Taylor

2011 Colombiana
Cat - 10

Hide Miscellaneous Crew (3 titles)

2011 Texas Killing Fields (voice over - uncredited)
2011 Falling Skies (TV series) (voice over - 1 episode)
– Live and Learn (2011) (voice over - uncredited)

2010 Why Did I Get Married Too? (ADR cast)

Self
2012 Extra (TV series)
Herself
– Episode dated 22 August 2012 (2012) … Herself

2012 The World Is Watching: Making the Hunger Games (video documentary)
Herself

2012 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2012 (TV movie)
Herself (uncredited)

2012 E! News (TV series)
Herself
– Episode dated 23 March 2012 (2012) … Herself

2012 KTLA Morning News (TV series)
Herself
– Episode dated 23 March 2012 (2012) … Herself

2012 The Wendy Williams Show (TV series)
Herself
– Episode dated 21 March 2012 (2012) … Herself

2012 ¡Despierta América! (TV series)
Herself
– Episode dated 8 March 2012 (2012) … Herself

2012 Tribute Video Diaries (video documentary short)
Herself

2011 TeenNick Halo Awards (TV movie)
Herself

Trivia:

Mother is African-American and father is Danish.

Once took a ride on the Goodyear Blimp.

Likes to knit.

Paternal grandmother was an Inuit from Greenland.

Amandla means power in Zulu.

At the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 2011, Amandla gave a speech entitled "Reflections on Women of the Civil Rights Movement" with Cicely Tyson. Her talk honored the four girls who were killed in the Birmingham church bombing in 1963.

Variety featured Amandla in its "Up Next" section in the publication's 2011 Youth Impact Report.

Named #1 Breakout Kid Actor of 2012 by "Entertainment Weekly".

Amandla Stenberg official sites are below where you can interact, learn more about this beautiful and talented 14 year old Actress.

Official Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
IMDb:
Youtube:

RCN America is pleased to have Amandla Stenberg featured in our latest "Actor Spotlight", 
where we highlight, promote Actors that have great acting skills and a bright future.