Thuso Mbedu is sending a Youth Day message straight from the soil—returning to a backyard vegetable garden in Pietermaritzburg to make the point that the moments we’re most embarrassed about today can become the foundation of our future.
Youth Day lesson: from “unkempt” patch to survival
Sharing her thoughts on social media, the Underground Railroad and Woman King star opened up about her childhood in an effort to encourage young people. She said that before her family moved to Pietermaritzburg, they lived in Ulundi, in a home surrounded by a yard filled with sugar cane, banana trees, peach trees, and guava trees.
In that earlier life, she remembered feeling self-sufficient and proud. But after the family shifted to the “suburbs” of Pietermaritzburg, everything changed. Her grandmother, who was a pensioner, meant there were days when the household had little more than tea and bread—and if tea wasn’t available, umbhubhudla was the alternative.
A surprising order: dig up the backyard
One memory, in particular, stood out for her. Thuso recalled that her grandmother seemed to take back control of the situation by instructing everyone to dig up the backyard. Thuso and her siblings assumed the digging would lead to something fun—like a swimming pool—but the plan turned out to be practical: they were preparing land for a vegetable garden that would help the family get through lean times.
- Thuso said she hated the idea at the time.
- She disliked feeling “less cool” than the neighbours.
- She resented the responsibility that came with it.
- She even felt embarrassed by a photo of herself in matric, taken in front of that “unkempt” garden while she wore her Honours blazer.
Looking back: the garden that changed everything
Seventeen years later, Thuso revisited that same image and admitted that her priorities back then were “as dodgy” as the way she looked. Still, her feelings about the garden itself have completely flipped.
She wrote that the “embarrassing” space was the reason her family could eat when grocery money was missing. She credited her grandmother’s determination—“Gogo’s resistance”—with preserving the household. And she made the link to her career, saying that without the garden, there would be no Thuso at Wits, no Thuso in the industry, and no Thuso where she is today.
- Her message to young South Africans: don’t dismiss small beginnings, even if they seem “embarrassing.”
- She framed those early, unglamorous steps as something that can carry people into their future.
From Pietermaritzburg upbringing to global stardom
Thuso’s own “small beginnings” have long been part of her story. She grew up in the Pelham area of Pietermaritzburg, raised by her grandmother after both parents passed away when she was young. She later studied at the University of the Witwatersrand, graduating with honours in 2013, and trained at New York’s Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
Her first major momentum came through South African productions, with roles in Isibaya and Scandal!, before she took on the lead in the Mzansi Magic teen drama Is’Thunzi. That performance led to back-to-back International Emmy nominations in 2017 and 2018.
A career that expanded beyond home
From there, her career grew internationally. In 2021, she became the first South African actress to headline an American television series, starring as Cora in Amazon’s The Underground Railroad. The role also brought recognition including an Independent Spirit Award, a Hollywood Critics Association Award, and a Gotham Award.
She then made her feature film debut alongside Viola Davis in The Woman King (2022), portraying recruit-turned-warrior Nawi. Thuso said the part helped her push through fears, including performing her own stunts.
What’s next for Thuso Mbedu
Despite the success, Thuso has remained open about staying grounded, and her profile has continued to climb. She is currently attached to Paramount’s highly anticipated Children of Blood and Bone, where she leads the cast as Zélie alongside Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg, Idris Elba, and Tosin Cole. The film is set to shoot in South Africa.
She also recently appeared in HBO’s crime drama Task with Mark Ruffalo, and she has been featured in Mufasa: The Lion King.
For a country that watched a girl from a backyard vegetable patch in Pelham rise to worldwide recognition, Thuso’s encouragement lands with special force: small, unglamorous starts aren’t reasons to feel ashamed—they’re often exactly what puts someone on the path to where they’re meant to go.
