Nigerian-Ethiopian actress Arséma Adeoluwayemi Hamera Thomas was the gorgeous cover star for Glamour South Africa‘s latest Digital Issue.
The actress stars as young Agatha Danbury in the Netflix original series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
In the exclusive interview, Arsema speaks extensively on what it was like shooting the series, synergy on set and how amazing it was playing a fully realised character.
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For the cover feature, Arsema is sporting a neutral makeup look featuring soft brown smokey eyes, natural-looking brows, highlighted cheeks and glossy lips. For her hair, the team opted for a soft, natural hairdo. She is dressed in an all-black structured shift dress and completed the look with gold jewellery.
On Representation & Being Part Of A Groundbreaking Story:
“It’s like a dream come true, I grew up watching a lot of shows by Shonda Rhimes so I feel honoured to be a part of something that’s so revolutionary. The show has this unconventional romance that takes place in the Georgian era, with beautiful costumes and space. When a job ticks all the boxes, it’s this one!”
On Shonda Rhimes & Her Work
I would watch Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder and the way that Shonda writes her characters is unreal. It feels as though these are true people. And that’s a sign of who she is as a creator… her ability to empathise with every single character, to show all of their different sides.
On what she hopes people will take away from engaging with Queen Charlotte?
I hope people engage with the fact that while it’s about black women, it’s a love story. There’s so much in there about the relationship between a mother and a son, sexuality, and identity. And even this idea of ailment, and how you deal with that and grief. And so there are so many potential conversations to have. And that’s what I hope that people recognise because I think people will be locked in on the visual cue of seeing black people in a genre “that we shouldn’t be in” and not realise how fruitful and bountiful these six episodes are. The content is there. It’s so easy, Shonda was generous!
Read the full issue here.
Credits
Cover story: @thobeka_phanyeko
Photography by @ambercashmere
Hair by @am_stagrams
Makeup by @alesha_l_williams
Styling @mayazep
