Amandla Stenberg Defends Children of Blood and Bone Casting — But Hollywood’s Colorism Problem Still Exists

Fantasy has never been a genre I gravitate toward. I always joke that there’s too much going on and I’ve got no imagination so I can’t keep up. But Children of Blood and Bone was different. This was a book everyone was talking about. The Tonight Show picked it for its 2018 Summer Book Club, film rights were secured before publication (which is almost unheard of for a debut writer), and it was getting a lot of positive attention online. What really intrigued me was its setting: a richly imagined, pre-colonial Nigeria-inspired world called Orisha. An African fantasy novel taking the global stage? I had to see that for myself — so I gave the book a go and loved it. 

That was over six years ago. Now, with the excitement building for the upcoming film adaptation, the book is set to become a major Hollywood production, starring actors Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, and Tosin Cole in the lead roles. Like many fans who prefer to read the book before seeing the film, there’s a strong desire to preserve the characters from Hollywood’s potentially glossy reinterpretation and stay true to the novel. However, with Amandla Stenberg, a biracial actor, cast in one of the lead roles, the film has already sparked a debate on colorism — one that threatens to overshadow a larger conversation about African storytelling in the mainstream.

Children of Blood and Bone’s multi-award-winning author, Nigerian-American Tomi Adeyemi didn’t just create a magical world; she built one that pulsed with the language, history, and magic of a pre-colonial Nigeria that felt both fresh and deeply familiar. 

The book follows Zélie Adebola, a young girl from a persecuted magical race, who is looking to restore the magic stolen by the king. Alongside her brother and the king’s daughter, Princess Amari, she is forced to navigate a world of prejudice and political turmoil, where their magic makes them targets. At its heart, it’s about the fight for freedom in a divided world, and the courage it takes to stand against tyranny.

While a fictional, fantasy story, Adeyemi clearly draws on Yoruba culture and West African mythology to shape her world. Magic and religion, for example, are intertwined, with each of the ten magical abilities linked to a god or goddess who governs the maji clans. Every detail of Orïsha — its places, clothing, combat styles, and societal structure — reflects this West African cultural influence.

As someone from the African diaspora, my excitement was tempered by Hollywood’s long history of mishandling stories from the continent, turning rich cultures into tired clichés that make many of us cringe. What made this project feel different, however, was the book’s specificity. To get it right, it seemed clear they would need to stay faithful, and so, we as fans hoped they would.

But then the cast list dropped. And let’s just say, the internet had plenty to say, with a collective groan, particularly over the casting of Amandla Stenberg, a biracial actress, as Princess Amari. The choice of South African actress Thuso Mbedu as Zélie Adebola — the protagonist is described as having dark onyx skin — has raised some eyebrows too.

Maybe I was being naive, but a biracial woman wasn’t who I pictured as Amari. While the ruling class in Children of Blood and Bone is lighter-skinned than the majority of the population, in a Nigerian-inspired world, I imagined that meant people with complexions like that of Thuso Mbedu. Having grown up in Ghana, I would argue that someone of Mbedu’s complexion (darker than Stenberg but lighter than someone considered “dark-skinned”) would be described as “fairer skinned”, and fit the bill.

Amari, while from this ruling class, is an outcast in her own family, chastised by her mother for being too dark and too big. Colorism and fatphobia shape her entire lived existence, pushing her to the fringes and ultimately driving her to join the revolution. 

Even if some readers imagined Amari as a light-skinned girl, why didn’t the filmmakers take the opportunity to buck Hollywood’s long-standing pattern of casting lighter-skinned women in roles for Black women?

This conversation isn’t new. For years, Hollywood’s go-to choice for a “Black girl” has often been a light-skinned, biracial actress — someone seen as more palatable while still ticking the diversity box. What we as fans are saying is that when the opportunity arises to cast darker-skinned women who are more underrepresented in Hollywood, it should be embraced. Not doing so in this particular instance feels like a real slap in the face.

In recent days, Stenberg has responded to the criticism via an eight minute TikTok video, defending her casting in the upcoming film and past roles.

When she was cast in the film adaptation of The Hate U Give, Stenberg faced similar backlash for taking the lead role. In her lengthy video, she shared that it was her online activism around Black Lives Matter that led the author to feel she was a good fit for the role, as she could speak to the story’s themes.

She draws a similar connection here, referencing the racist abuse she recently faced after appearing in The Acolyte (Star Wars universe) and suggesting that due to her lived experience of racism, she is deserving of this role. According to Stenberg, much like THUG, Children of Blood and Bone author Tomi Adeyemi was eager to cast her, moved by the racism she faced as a child actress after The Hunger Games and how she stood up to it. That experience, she says, drove Adeyemi to write a story where Black girls everywhere could feel seen.

One thing we can all agree on is that Stenberg’s experience as a biracial actress in Hollywood is valid, and no one is trying to take that away from her. But in this instance, where colorism is central to a character’s experience, this was a low-hanging fruit opportunity to represent darker-skinned Black women in prominent roles on screen, and also showcase a love story between two dark-skinned leads — something we also don’t see enough of either.

Big budget films, of course, need big names to draw audiences and sell tickets. But with such a large cast and award-winning actresses like Cynthia Erivo and Viola Davis already on board, there was plenty of room to introduce fresh talent. Children of Blood and Bone already has a built-in fandom that will no doubt turn up in droves. And with what’s likely to be a massive budget, this felt like the perfect mandate to take a risk on some new, talented faces in prominent roles.

These casting choices aren’t just about colorism, though ironically, it’s a factor. Hollywood often treats Africa as a monolith, with little regard for cultural and historical details, and this casting I worry, fits that recurring trend.

First, there’s the tendency to lump the entire continent together, leading to a mishmash of accents, clothing, and traditions that don’t belong to any one place. The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, was a prime example. The film, which tells the true story of the all-female army that defended the West African kingdom of Dahomey (now part of Benin), was widely praised for its performances. But where it fell short was the same place so many Western productions do: accuracy. Instead of using authentic Beninese accents, the actors were given a vague, generic “African” accent, flattening a rich and specific culture into something unrecognizable. This might seem minor. But when Hollywood doesn’t bother to get the details right, it erases the diversity of languages, traditions, and histories that make each country unique.

The industry has proven it can get cultural representation right with attention to detail. Look at Coco, the Oscar-winning Pixar film, for example. The team behind it was made up of Mexican talent, from animators to cultural consultants, ensuring the film authentically reflected Mexican culture. The result? It was a box-office hit. Children saw their families, traditions, language, and accents on screen, deepening their connection to their heritage. It’s clear that when studios are committed, they invest time and resources — like hiring accent coaches and understanding cultural nuances — to get it right. 

Stories from or influenced by the African continent aren’t getting the same level of attention. Yes, Children of Blood and Bone has done open casting for Nigerian actors, but we know the key roles have gone to the likes of Amandla Stenberg. Meanwhile, Nollywood (the Nigerian film industry) feels like this obvious, untapped pool of talent; it’s a billion-dollar film industry full of actors and filmmakers eager for the collaborative opportunities Hollywood is often so reluctant to offer.

It feels like we’re not good enough. Why aren’t our stories and experiences given the same level of commitment and respect? It’s a question Hollywood needs to answer, not Amandla Stenberg.

I’m not ready to write off the film completely, but this casting decision does cast doubt on its ability to bring Yoruba-inspired culture to life with the authenticity it deserves. I’ll be watching, but I’m nervous.

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