Page 66 - Powerlist 2019 - Digital Edition

NEW Reni Eddo-Lodge
Media, Publishing & Entertainment Reni was born and raised in London by her Nigerian mother,

2019
Journalist, author

and attended St Anne’s Catholic High School in Enfield.
She studied English Literature at the University of Central
Lancashire, graduating in 2011. While at university, she
became involved in feminist activism and the 2010 student
protest movement.
She was president of the university’s students’ union until
2012, and was an elected member of the National Executive
Council of the National Union of Students from 2012 to 2013.
She has gone on to be an award-winning journalist,
author, and podcaster.
Her debut non-fiction book, Why I’m No Longer Talking to
White People About Race, was published in the summer of
2017 to critical acclaim.
A Sunday Times bestseller, Why I’m won the 2018 Jhalak
Prize and has been shortlisted for a British Book Award. The
book earned a spot on the longlist for the prestigious Baillie
Gifford Prize for non-fiction, and was shortlisted for the
Books Are My Bag Readers Awards. Why I’m was voted non-
fiction book of the year for 2017 by booksellers at both Foyles
and Blackwells and selected by actress Emma Watson as an
David Harewood Our Shared Shelf book club read in January 2017.
The book also earned Reni a Bold Moves Award from
Actor Women in the Creative Industries.
In January 2018, Reni was chosen as one of seven
A graduate of RADA, David’s professional career spans more prominent British women to be photographed for British
than 25 years, with appearances in films, TV shows and Vogue, to mark the centenary of British women winning the
documentaries. A popular and well-known face on British right to vote. Her podcast, About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge,
TV, he has appeared on Casualty, Ballykissangel, New Tricks premiered in March 2018.
and Kavanagh QC. In 2015, Reni won a 30 To Watch award from MHP
He has had major roles in TV dramas including Tuck in Communications, and The Guardian named her as one of the
Robin Hood, 21st-century Earth billionaire Joshua Naismith 30 most exciting people under 30 in digital media.
in Doctor Who, and Nelson Mandela in BBC Four’s Mrs
Mandela. He has starred in US superhero series Supergirl
and BBC One’s award-winning The Night Manager.
He also starred on the big screen, with roles in a number
of hit films including Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Blood
Diamond and The Merchant of Venice with Jeremy Irons and
Al Pacino.
But things could have been very different. In his mid-40s
and with just £80 in the bank, the shock death of a school
friend and little acting prospects on the horizon, things
weren’t looking good for David and he started to fall into
depression.
He had a copy of the script to the US spy drama Homeland,
and had initially rejected reading it. But his agent managed
to convince him to take a look, and he went on to star in the
blockbuster TV series as David Estes, director of the CIA’s
Counterterrorism Centre, a role that would propel him to
international stardom and give him a worldwide fanbase.
He appeared in 24 episodes before his character was killed
off in a bomb blast at the end of season two.
Off-screen, he has been a vocal critic of the lack of people
from BAME background in TV and films, and spoke out
against Samuel L Jackson’s comments that British actors
can’t portray African-American roles authentically.
David is also a mental health ambassador, speaking
openly about the struggles he has faced. In 2012, he was
awarded an MBE for services to drama.

62 Powerlist 2019