Amandla Stenberg was first introduced to us as the lovable and innocent Rue in The Hunger Games, and now the 17-year-old is finding a more mature voice both on screen and off. In particular, she’s becoming an activist for female empowerment, and channeling her influence through acting and film making.
The young actress stars in a new indie film, As You Are, which touches on some powerful and relevant issues, such as teen sexuality and domestic violence. In an interview with Nylon, Stenberg noted the film’s “themes of alienation, especially in… suburban environments.” The young actress also has aspirations for getting behind the camera, and plans on studying film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, according to Teen Vogue.
Much of Stenberg’s inspiration has come from the powerful women she’s encountered in her career thus far. “I’ve met some bomb-ass women who’ve inspired me to go and make some more shit,” she said. She’s also ready to handle the often unfair, sexist culture that lurks behind every Hollywood success story. When Nylon asked Stenberg about the rise and fall of some of her popular female co-stars, she had some insightful words:
“I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we’re women, and a lot to do with how people value our thoughts, and unfortunately for a lot of young actors and women, our thoughts are only seen as valid when we’re popular, in popular culture, which is really stupid… I have to remember is just to stay true to who I am and to continue talking about things I want to talk about.”
Stenberg certainly seems to be headed in the right direction and is an inspiring voice for young women everywhere. Along with promoting As You Are and spreading her feminism love, the 17-year-old is releasing a short film called Blue Girls Burn Fast in the near future. This girl is someone we definitely want to keep an eye on—Hollywood, get ready.