Thuso Mbedu from The Woman King on training like a warrior and why napping is self-care

Thuso Mbedu from The Woman King on training like a warrior and why napping is self-care

Thuso Mbedu is "petrified of heights" and admits she sometimes wondered if she could retire from her role in The Woman King, in which she plays Nawi, a new recruit of the Agojie, an all-female unit of warriors protecting the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.

And yet, the 31-year-old South African-born actress, who stars alongside Viola Davis and John Boyega in the film, out on June 16, persists. During the intense physical training for the film, Mbedu found the motivation to keep going by remembering that the Agojie women really did what she trained to portray on the big screen. “That was someone’s lived reality,” Mbedu tells Shape. “They did this to protect their kingdom from their oppressors – to protect their people.”

Of course, there were some differences between their training for the film and the Agojie members' preparation for battle. First of all, her work began in Los Angeles with trainer and nutritionist Gabriela Mclain, who has a background in dance and martial arts. Before she even started strength training, Mbedu underwent DNA health analysis, which provided information about her genetic predispositions, such as: B. which foods her body processes easily, which allowed Mclain to customize a fitness and nutrition plan for the actress. Mbedu also underwent martial arts training, including Muay Thai; learned to fight with weapons such as bowstaffs, swords and machetes; and worked with a running coach to help her improve her sprinting skills.

Ahead, learn more about how Mbedu prepared for her physically intense role in The Woman King, what she likes to do when she's not training to play a warrior, and her strategies for getting out of a mental rut.

Train like a warrior

Playing Nawi was “a thousand and ten percent” the most physically demanding role Mbedu has ever taken on, she admits. The actress began doing Muay Thai at least three times a week, sometimes doubling up in the morning and evening if her schedule permitted. “I just wanted to work on my punches, my reflexes and my kicks,” she says.

Then, when pre-production training officially began, Mbedu began strength training with Mclain, which involved working on mobility, flexibility and muscle building, she explains. Mclain was also involved in helping Mbedu strengthen her body for her intense training sessions. Based on a DNA analysis, "she left out a lot of things that would be counterproductive to what we would do when training and she added [foods] that my body easily processes and works through," explains the actress. “She kept us on track and I saw the difference in my body.”

During this time, Mbedu also honed her ability to wield weapons believably (her character's weapon of choice is the machete, but the actress' personal favorite was the bowstaff). “I really enjoyed playing [safely] with the weapons [for training purposes] more than anything else,” she says. “It challenged the body and the brain in different ways.”

Thuso Mbedu on working with trainer Gabriela Mclain for her role in “The Woman King”

She kept us on track and I saw the difference in my body.

– Thuso Mbedu on working with trainer Gabriela Mclain for her role in “The Woman King”

However, the most difficult element of training for Mbedu was running. “Geez,” she says, letting out an exasperated sigh when the topic comes up. “That was a real, real challenge.” However, it was necessary. “Because of her size, my character relies more on her speed than anything else,” says Mbedu. To tackle challenging running workouts like uphill sprinting, she turned to a unique source of inspiration: an anime character named Kenichi.

Around the start of the training, Mbedu explained that she discovered the anime series Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple, which is about a character who uses martial arts to defend himself against bullies. “When I felt like giving up, when I was really down, really, really thinking about, 'Should I walk away from this project?' It took me a day to think, 'What would Kenichi do?'" she explains. “And after that I haven’t looked back.”

A typical workout

When she's not learning how to fight with a machete or throw punches, Mbedu is probably doing a core workout she found on YouTube. “My favorite exercise is anything that works my abs,” she says. “I’ve always had a low-key obsession with abs.”

The Complete Guide to Your Core Muscles and How to Strengthen Them

Although she has gym equipment at home and enjoys working out with Bowflex, Mbedu says she prefers special attention when it comes to working out. “I suck at doing it alone,” she adds. "I'm not even going to lie. I don't have the discipline to [work out] without a coach." Luckily, she was able to continue working with Mclain since she finished filming The Woman King. “Our relationship has been so great and she is so good at what she does,” Mbedu says.

Thuso Mbedu on pushing yourself

I always try to challenge myself to try something new.

— Thuso Mbedu on pushing yourself

Outside the gym, Mbedu enjoys “little pushing the limits” by doing adventurous activities such as indoor skydiving, ocean kayaking and hiking. “I always try to challenge myself to try something new,” she says, explaining that her desire to do this stems from her desire to star in action films. “I don’t want to go onto a set and be afraid to try anything,” she says.

The importance of rest

When it comes to self-care and mental health, Mbedu prioritizes rest. “What I realized recently is… it’s about the chaos in the mind, right?” She explains. "Allowing yourself to fully rest...emotionally, mentally, physically [helps calm the chaos]. But also talking. Find someone you trust who you can talk to. And then when you find the things you enjoy doing, you can get back to the essence of who you are," she adds. “Those are my biggest things that usually get me out of my rut.”

Mbedu also relies on some activities that she likes to do for herself when she has free time. This includes journaling, caring for her skin (she's a fan of Neostrata and Osea products) and deep-tissue massages - where she demands the "maximum hardness to release the tension". But the one thing that inspires her most when talking about self-care? Nap.

“For me, napping is self-care,” she says. “I've built naps into my schedule because otherwise everything feels overwhelming and then I'm unproductive,” Mbedu explains, noting that it's okay if she's unavailable for a while. "I wake up and think, 'Good morning, again. Yes, I took a nap. What's going on? The world hasn't ended.'"