We all remember Amandla Stenberg as Rue in The Hunger Games, as she was one of the most beloved characters that the saga gave us. The actress played this role in 2012 when she was just 14 years old, and she did it in a unique and touching way. Mainly because when she was killed by Marvel, the male tribute from District 1, we all cried. In fact, it was arguably the most painful scene in the first The Hunger Games movie.
After this character gave Amandla Stenberg her shot at fame, she garnered a lot of success working in various starring roles. Below, you’ll see a list of the best performances of this actress to date.
10 Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen is a 2021 film, which falls into the musical genre. It was directed by Stephen Chbosky and the cast is composed of Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Nik Dodani, Colton Ryan, and Danny Pino. The plot revolves around Evan Hansen, a 17-year-old boy suffering from anxiety and depression. He goes through various bad situations at school and subsequently tries to work his way through all his problems.
Amandla Stenberg plays Alana Beck, a classmate who also suffers from similar mental struggles as Evan. She then teams up with the main character to do a project in honor of Connor, a classmate of theirs who dies at the beginning of the film.
9 As You Are
As You Are is a drama film that was released in 2016 and was directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte. The leading roles were played by Owen Campbell and Charlie Heaton. It deals with a story set in the decade of the ’90s, where a police investigation takes place where those involved have disparate histories. Also, a love affair develops between the three young people and, subsequently, they must go through a series of profound situations in life.
Amandla Stenberg plays the role of Sarah, who shares the lead role with Jack and Mark. She meets them after defending them from a group of bullies and begins to develop a bond for the two, which ends up being a polyamorous triangle. Then everything starts to become difficult, due to the fact that they will have to go through several legal situations.
8 My Animal
My Animal is a horror film that was written by Jae Matthews and directed by Jacqueline Castel. It stars Bobbi Salvör Menuez as Heather, a teenager who is isolated from others. She falls in love with Jonny, a figure skater who lives with various problems. The two begin their relationship, but everything gets complicated when Heather must reveal her dark secret and must control her inner animal.
Jonny was played by Stenberg and this character is described as a figure skater who captivates everyone who sees her. However, she hides a stormy life, which is going to affect Heather during their relationship.
7 Everything, Everything
Everything, Everything is a romantic drama that was written by J. Mills Goodloe and directed by Stella Meghie. It was released in 2017 and this movie is based on a novel of the same name. The plot follows Maddy Whittier, a young woman who has a serious medical condition that makes her unable to leave the house. Olly Bright, her neighbor, begins to get involved with her by helping her experience life, which causes the two to fall in love.
Amandla Stenberg played the lead role of Maddy. She’s described as an 18-year-old girl, who has SCID, an immune disorder. Maddy is always being taken care of by her mother and is depressed due to the fact that she wants to experience the outside world.
6 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and was released in 2023. It was distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing and the plot follows Miles Morales, who goes on an adventure with Gwen Stacy through the Spider-Man multiverse. The two meet the Spider-Society and Miguel O’Hara, with whom they later have a confrontation caused by a special threat. Amandla Stenberg voices Margo Kess, who’s Spider-Byte. One of the members of the Spider Society, Spider-Byte is a cybernetic version of a Spider-Man from an alternate universe.
5 Bodies Bodies Bodies
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a black slasher comedy, which was released in 2022. The cast consisted of Maria Bakalove, Myha’la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, among others. It received positive reviews and both the cast and script were well praised. The story follows Bee, a young woman who travels with Sophie, her girlfriend, and they head to a “hurricane party.” There they meet up with other guests and after their celebration with substances and dancing, they decide to play “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” which is a “murder in the dark” style game. However, it gets real.
Amandla Stenberg played Sophie, the protagonist of the story. She’s described as a working-class young woman, who travels with her wealthy girlfriend to the coast for the party. Sophie relapses into her substance addiction as she tries to survive the murders on that night.
4 Where Hands Touch
Where Hands Touch is a romance, drama, and war film, which was released in 2018. The cast consists of George MacKay, Abbie Cornish, and Christopher Eccleston. The story is about Leyna, a girl who has both black and white ancestry. Because of her mixed race, she’s constantly threatened and must survive Nazi Germany.
Amandla Stenberg plays Leyna, a 16-year-old girl going through World War II. She lives with her mother and half-brother and suffers the consequences and racist attacks of having been the product of a love affair between a white woman and an African man.
3 The Darkest Minds
The Darkest Minds is a science fiction film released in 2018, written by Chad Hodge and directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. It’s based on a novel of the same name and the cast consisted of Mandy Moore, Gwendoline Christie, and Harris Dickinson. The story is about a group of children with mysterious superpowers on the run from the government. Stenberg plays Ruby Daly, the film’s protagonist. Her superpower is to get into other people’s minds. She escapes from the prison where she was confined with the help of a resistance group. Thus, Ruby and her friends will try to hide while they learn to use their powers and head to a shelter called “East River.”
2 That Hate U Give
That Hate U Give is a 2018 film written by Audrey Wells and directed by George Tillman Jr. based on a book of the same name. The cast consisted of Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Lamar Johnson, and KJ Apa. The story is about Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African American girl. She lives in Garden Heights, a Black neighborhood, and attends Williamson Prep private school, an all-white institution. During the film, the protagonist will have to deal with various situations of racism, along with the death of her best friend.
Starr is played by Stenberg, who becomes involved in a domestic incident with a white police officer who kills Khalil, her Black best friend, after the officer thought his friend was armed. This is a very important role for the actress because it addresses the stigma that can still sometimes be perceived in society against people of color.
1 The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games movies are dystopian action films based on the books by Suzanne Collins. The cast starred Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, and other high-caliber stars. The story is about Katniss and Peeta, two young people who are forced to represent District 12 in the 74th Hunger Hames. This is a televised event, where 24 teenagers from the 12 districts of Panem must fight to the death so that only one victor remains.
Stenberg played Rue in the first movie, the female tribute from District 11. She befriended Katniss during training and during the Games, the two teamed up to survive until Rue was killed. This character made an impact on the development of the protagonist until the end of the saga and touched all of us. Likewise, this is considered Amandla Stenberg’s best role, being the one that started her jump to fame.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
