Prior to becoming a movie star, Jodie Turner-Smith was one of many models looking for their big break. The Queen & Slim star has gained worldwide recognition for her leading role in Lena Waithe’s 2019 black Bonnie and Clyde drama, but it was just over 10 years ago that Jodie landed her first entertainment gig as a video vixen. The artists? The-Dream and Kanye West.

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Back in 2009, The-Dream released his Kanye-assisted single “Walkin’ On The Moon.” The synthy, pop-R&B track was given a futuristic visual starring both artists and their model sidekicks, and during a recent visit to BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, Jodie shared the story of how she stumbled into that job. She was introduced to famed director Hype Williams—the man behind many of our favorite music videos in hip hop—and told to hit him up when she visited L.A. Jodie did just that and Hype allegedly told her that his office wasn’t far from the airport so she could just stop by.

Upon arriving, she saw that there were a number of large SUV’s outside and people running around everywhere. When she did meet Hype, he apparently gave her a quick glance, told her to put on a little bikini, got her into hair and makeup, and led her right onto the video shoot without even questioning her. It was Jodie’s first gig ever so it was a bit overwhelming, and for the video, Jodie was supposed to look afraid.

“Me and Kanye are supposed to be walking through like, this tunnel thing,” Jodie remembered. “And he’s holding my hand and he keeps shouting at me, ‘You need to look more scared!’ And I was like, ‘I’m sh*tting myself!” Then, they pulled up a photo of Jodie and Kanye together in the video. “I look so confused,” Jodie said. “Because I really was.” Check out her story, and the music video, in full below. 

Fans were a bit shocked when rumors recently surfaced that Queen & Slim actress Jodie Turner-Smith not only married actor Joshua Jackson back in December 2019, but the newlyweds are expecting their first child together. If Jackson looks a tad familiar, it’s because he has quite the Hollywood resumé of his own; the 41-year-old longtime entertainer is known for his role as Pacey on Dawson’s Creek as well as for his appearances in Cruel Intentions, The Might Ducks series, Shutter, The Skulls, Apt Pupil, Fringe, and The Affair.

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The British actress and the Canadian actor are figuring out where to make their home base as they prepare for the arrival of their first-born. One thing is for sure: they won’t be settling down in the United States. Jodie chatted with The Sunday Times and shared that in her opinion “the racial dynamics [in America] are fraught.”

“White supremacy is overt,” Jodie said. “It’s the reason I don’t want to raise my kids here.” She also took issue with gun control policies or lack thereof. “I don’t want my kids to grow up doing active shooter drills at school, she said, adding that her home country isn’t much better. “England has gone off the rails, so I was thinking maybe Canada.” People frustrated with the politics in their countries have often named Canada as their place to retreat, so it comes to no surprise.

He may be linked to films with underlying messages of inequality or black power, but actor Daniel Kaluuya doesn’t want to become some spokesman on racial issues. He’s starred in movies like Get Out, Black Panther, and Queen & Slim, but in a recent interview with Radio Times, according to The Guardian, the British-born entertainer said he doesn’t want to become “the race guy.”

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As the Academy Awards are swiftly approaching, there have been mutters of another year where the Oscars have shown a lack of diversity. “I’m not going to ignore that I’m surrounded by [racial issues], but I’m not defined by it,” he said. “I’m just Daniel, who happens to be black.” Adding, “What is there to talk about race? It’s just boring to me. What’s the debate? I’m more of a doer. I’m just going to do what I want to do.”

Kaluuya shared that he’s going to become much more careful about the roles he chooses in the future because he doesn’t want the industry to typecast him. Although Queen & Slim was a Bonnie and Clyde-esque story that was overrun with messages pertaining to what is viewed as inequity and inequality in the black community, Kaluuya said he was drawn more to the love story between the two title characters more than anything else. “Yes, it’s got those moments [about race] but that’s more of a catalyst,” he stated.

Daniel Kaluuya has an impressive track record here in America. He starred in Black Panther, Get Out, Widows, and had roles in Kick-Ass 2 and Sicario. Apparently though, Kaluuya didn’t have such great luck acorss the pond, where he is from. Speaking with The Sunday Times, Kaluuya commented on how he felt that his dark skin played a role in stopping studios from hiring him. 

“I was going for a lot of stuff [in England],” he admitted in the interview. “But I wasn’t getting roles because of the color of my skin. It wasn’t fair. It was a trap.” He continued on to name a specific scenario. “For example, I went up for this show. It was 10 rounds of auditions. There was me and a white guy for the lead. It was about aliens. And I realized as I was going to one audition that the other guy had been given an acting coach. They didn’t love me like they loved him.”

“In any other profession, that would be weird, but it was accepted in mine,” continued Kaluuya. “It happened a few times, and I went, ‘Nah. I’m not an idiot.’” Speaking with Entertainment Weekly two years ago, Kaluuya got candid about racism while discussing Get Out‘s big party scene. “That party scene was just like, ‘Oh, I’ve been in that party. I’m going to that party,’” Kaluuya said. “Like, that kind of racism that isn’t seen as racism, that isn’t seen as, kind of like, mainstream racism. It’s just life. And to explore that is quite an uncomfortable conversation. And [director] Jordan [Peele] just spoke his truth. He cinematically articulated an experience that millions of people go through and they are made to feel crazy for going through that. But he just said, ‘No, actually, you’re not crazy.’”