Her name (literally) means power. At 18, Amandla exerts a rare, discerning on-screen force that is changing the movie-making industry from the inside out, one riveting role after another. Each character she breathes life into seems touched by something out of this world. Offscreen, she’s steadily bringing visibility to the unseen through her work with the Art Hoe Collective, which is led by gender-nonconforming teens and young adults determined to create space for queer artists of color. Who better to unpack the enigma that is Amandla Stenberg — a baby-faced ass-kicker, a dystopian hero, a romantic leading lady, a Tumblr phenom (who could forget her formidable rebuttal to cultural appropriation via “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows”?!), a comic creator, an aspiring film director (her first self-directed short for Teen Vogue is not to be missed!), and so much more — than Janelle Monáe, who traffics high concepts onto mainstream stages from the Oscars to Madison Square Garden. Together, they explore how an epic sister-friendship got off the ground, how they make art (and joy) in a world that would prefer they remain silent, and what it takes to become an icon.
AMANDLA STENBERG: Janelle frigging Monáe!?
JANELLE MONÁE: Hi, sweetie. You know I love, love, love you. First: pronouns! I want to make sure that I’m being respectful of how I’m referring to you. I know that the way we view ourselves and how we want to be addressed can change depending on where we are in life.
AS: I love that you asked me! Thank you. I have felt at times that she/her pronouns weren’t entirely fitting, but I’ve never felt uncomfortable with them. It’s more important for me to open up that conversation around pronouns and how gender itself is a construct that doesn’t make much sense in our society.
JM: Got it. I remember seeing you for the first time in Colombiana, and then, like many people, I was drawn to your character in The Hunger Games as Rue. I’m a huge sci-fi nerd, so just seeing this little black girl in a dystopian world being a hero for an oppressed community, I was intrigued! The way you embodied this character felt like you were mature enough to understand how important she was to the movie but also how important the Rues all over the world are to our society.
AS: That’s one of the best compliments that I’ve received! I remember we saw each other at the Tyler, the Creator show; we took a picture with Solange. You were wearing a jacket that said “black girl magic” on it, and I flipped out.
JM: Me, too! I was like, I am right between you and Solange, two people who are the epitome of black girl magic! I saw you later on, and you had just shot Everything, Everything, which, by the way, you are incredible in. The original story was written by a black woman [NicolaYoon], and your director [Stella Meghie] is also a black woman. What was going through your mind as you were considering the role?
AS: I kind of wrote it off initially because I figured it was one of those instances where I was receiving a script for a YA romance project that was intended for a white actress. I thought maybe they’d float the idea of casting it in a more diverse manner but that ultimately it wouldn’t end up going that direction, because that’s happened to me a lot. Then I realized that this project was based on a book written by a black woman and that the casting was intentionally diverse. I’d never seen a story like this made for an interracial couple. I’m not someone who generally has a pop or mainstream sensibility, but I see the incredible power of infiltrating these larger movies that show a lot of people who we are and how diverse and beautiful our community is. I thought it would be really powerful to see a black girl [lead] character like Maddy who is joyous and creative and dimensional specifically marketed to teenagers and young adults. We don’t always get to see black women carrying that energy. That’s one of the reasons why I respect and love you so much—because I feel like you perpetuate such whimsy and joy!
JM: Aw! Well, whenever I see you doing your thing, I feel like we’re from the same tribe because I take a similar approach when I’m choosing projects. With the roles of Teresa in Moonlight and Ms. Mary Jackson in Hidden Figures, they’re two women of color from totally different backgrounds and eras—from the hood to NASA, these black women were the backbones of their communities. I thought it was so important to let the rest of the world know that we’re not monolithic. And with Hidden Figures in particular, I was so proud to be a part of exposing that if it were not for these women, we would not have gone to space. That’s American history! Black history is part of American history, and it should be treated as such.
AS: Absolutely! Recently I’ve been experiencing what it’s like to navigate Hollywood, which has traditionally been white. You’re someone I look to a lot when I get scared because, Lord knows, it’s a scary world to try to figure out. I wonder what you’ve encountered and overcome as you push for representation in media.
JM: I’m still trying to figure out a lot of things. I have mentors like Erykah Badu. She’s been like a big sister to me. But I’m probably just as scared as you. I actually look to you for inspiration. I remember watching your “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows” video and feeling like, Wow, here is a young girl who is going to be a beacon of hope for not only young black girls but all human beings who are just uncomfortable speaking out and walking in their truth.
AS: I hope so. It’s a pretty crazy world right now.
JM: Speaking of, where were you during the election?
AS: I was shooting a scene in Where Hands Touch, a film about a biracial girl growing up during the Holocaust. In the scene, my character’s papers get taken away by a Nazi officer and the officer yells in her face, basically telling her that she does not belong in her own country. An actor playing a Nazi soldier took out his phone to refresh the news and announced that Trump was president. I was actually seeing this come out of the mouth out of an actor dressed in a Nazi uniform. Immediately, I excused myself because I felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore. I started sobbing. It was shocking. It made me really question how we could reach a point where our country is so divided. The director, Amma Asante, came to check on me, and she told me that progress is like a coil you have to go down in order to circle back up again. That’s how it’s worked throughout history. That’s how it will continue to work.
JM: I empathize with you there. I was in Georgia, and on the outskirts of Atlanta, there are parts where we still have the KKK riding to little black girls’ birthday parties, burning crosses and performing hate crimes. After the results were announced, I thought, Am I going to be safe?
AS: Amid all of the chaos in the world right now, it’s so important that everyone actively works to preserve their mental health so that we’re able to heal and create change. I got rid of my iPhone, and that was essential in preserving my mental health. Now I have a flip phone that I just use to talk to people and hear their actual voices. I’m worried about the mental health effects of smartphones and social media on kids because it is one large social experiment that we don’t know the outcome of. I see a lot of people around my age who are really unhappy or experiencing disconnection from reality because they base so much of their existence on the Internet and on their interactions with people they might not even know. It creates such unreal expectations for what we think our lives should be. I feel like now is the time to stand tall and feel 100 percent comfortable in my skin even though I’m occupying a space that I know historically wasn’t built for me.
JM: Hell, yeah. One of my mantras is “Embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable.” I keep that with me in my back pocket. Shoot, I keep it in my front pocket! I keep it in my hair. We have to live that.
AS: The reason why I feel like I’m able to do that is because of icons like you who carve out a space that the world says shouldn’t exist, a really joyous and creative space. You make concept albums about sci-fi and use your intelligence and your artistry to demand a place in this world by creating it yourself. When you do that, it makes me feel unafraid to do that for myself.
JM: Likewise! You consistently and effortlessly walk in your authenticity. The way you wear your individuality motivates me to put mine on. Each time I see and talk to you, I say to myself, I don’t think she knows how cool she is, which then makes you even more cool to me. You are who I wanna be when I grow up!
On Amandla in top image: Courrèges dress, price upon request; courreges.com. 525 America top (tied around waist), $54; 525america.com. A-morir sunglasses, $420; shop.a-morir.com. Miu Miu belt, price upon request; Miu Miu.
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