The cast: Sophie Okonedo

Sophie Okonedo’s most recent projects include The Secret Life of Bees, alongside Queen Latifa, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson, and SKIN.

After graduating from RADA, Sophie spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company and began her long running association with the Royal Court Theatre, with whom she appeared in more than ten plays (she is now on their Board of Directors). Her big break was when she joined Trevor Nunn and Jon Caird’s company at the National Theatre to play the role of ‘Cressida’ in Troilus and Cressida.

Sophie’s cutting edge television roles include her work with Paul Abbot and Tony Marchant. She was seen in the 2003 Paul Abbot thriller/black comedy Alibi, and in his BBC series Clocking Off (2000). Tony Marchant’s Never Never (2000) for Channel 4 earned her a Best Actress nomination at the RTS Awards. She is also well known for her roles in Born with Two Mothers (2005), a hard-hitting drama which addressed the powerful issue of IVF treatment, Whose Baby which was broadcast on ITV in October 2004, and the romantic comedy Sweet Revenge (2001), Dead Casual (2002) and Deep Secrets (1996).

In March 2006, she was seen starring alongside Michael Gambon and Colin Firth in Harold Pinter’s Celebration. In December of the same year audiences saw Sophie in the hard-hitting, emotional drama Tsunami: The Aftermath. Her performance won her an Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-series or Dramatic Special, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Most recently, she starred in the BBC adaptation of Oliver Twist, directed by Coky Giedroyc and co-starring Timothy Spall, Tom Hardy and Edward Fox.

In 2002 she starred in the Award winning British film Dirty Pretty Things alongside Audrey Tautou and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Sophie’s portrayal of ‘Juliette’ earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Independent Film Awards in 2003. Sophie has had parts in other hit films such as This Years Love (1999), The Jackal (1997), Go Now (1995), and Young Soul Rebels (1991).

Sophie was seen in 2005 playing the female lead opposite Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda, directed by Terry George. This exceptional film told the story of a heroic hotel owner who saved thousands of lives during the Rwanda genocide of the 90s. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival where it was awarded the prestigious People’s Choice Award. Her performance earned her an Oscar nomination, a SAG nomination, a Critics Circle Award nomination and NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2006 she starred in two films Scenes of a Sexual Nature, which followed seven couples’ relationships one afternoon on Hampstead Heath, and Stormbreaker, the story of a boy whose guardian dies in suspicious circumstances, and he is forcibly recruited into MI6.

This article is part of a larger report on the Skin movie. Visit our special report. .