QUEEN CHARLOTTE STAR ARSEMA THOMAS ON GROWING UP IN KENYA

Arsema Thomas, the actress who plays young Lady Danbury on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, has opened up about growing up in Africa.

Speaking on Kelly Clarkson Show, Arsema said she grew up in Sub-Saharan Africa, “I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and then we moved a lot and I grew up in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya, Benin, Togo, Uganda and then back to the states.” 

Arsema who just made her acting debut was working at a butcher shop when she got the role, “I’m constantly in shock and in owe of the people I get surrounded by. I think this will feel real if there was a horrible time on set and because it was a beautiful experience with a beautiful cast and crew I’m like no no no I must be dreaming. It’s been quite surreal.” She told The View.

Though she has a degree in science she always wanted to be an actor, “I always had this idea that I wanted to do it but I was just too scared to engage in it. This industry is very unforgiving to black women. If you fail it will be hard to get back up and my parents were very scared for me so they were very encouraging and forceful in making sure I had the safety net of academia. But the moment I had that I snuck off to Paris and started studying acting there,”she said.