Women Empowered
Zahra Bentham; A woman in her season
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“Here I was. Sitting across from Octavia Spencer. I remember thinking, OMG! Pinch myself. Is this for real?” ~ Zahra Bentham (Thoughts on Set of Madam C.J. Walker)
Rookie Blue (ABC/Global), Cracked (CBC), Private Eyes (Global), Ransom (CBS/Global), Save Me (CBC GEM), Queen of the Morning Calm (WFF, 2019) and White Lie (TIFF, 2019). Whew! It is quite a list of notable work that has been stacked up by our woman empowered, and for the commencement of Black History Month, Toronto Caribbean Newspaper thought that this was the best time to feature this young woman. Why? In a few months, she will be observed on the big screen in one of her largest roles to date in the highly anticipated film Self Made that tells the story of America’s first black, self-made female millionaire and beauty mogul Madam C.J. Walker. We are proud to present to you our woman empowered Zahra Bentham.
Zahra’s entertainment career started in a familiar place for most Africans living in the Diaspora. She started singing in church at the age of seven or eight years old, and although it may have seemed insignificant at the time, there was a fire in this young woman that was not going to be extinguished.
Along with being a talented performer, Zahra was also a superior athlete. “I really got into basketball, and throughout school, I played on AA/AAA basketball teams. I guess I was pretty good, because I was made team captain, and had the opportunity to travel across Canada and the United States playing a sport that I truly enjoyed.”
Her life began to change when she started attending the notable Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts where she studied: Drama Focus, Music Theatre, and Dance Intensive for her four years there. Basketball was still very much a part of her life, and she played right through high school on the Wexford Collegiate basketball team.
It was time to graduate, and time to make a tough decision. Would she continue to play a sport that had become such a part of her life, or would she follow her other passion, the arts? This decision was an extremely difficult one for Zahra. “Basketball had become such a part of my life, but when I really looked at it, for me it didn’t have the longevity that I was looking for. My family took it really hard because they had spent a lot of time with me on the road, but there was something about being on stage. It was a whole new experience, and I fell in love with it. I made the decision to stick with acting because of my time at Wexford.”
And just like that, Zahra’s new life began. She instantly began to feel the pains of being in this beast of an industry. Just getting herself an exceptional agent took her about a year. As you can imagine that must have been frustrating, and extremely challenging. Adding to the challenges, her very first gig was a reality show called “Kidz for it” which didn’t even air. The show was shot in Toronto and had a music and dance focus. Zahra had auditioned as a singer, and although she was disappointed, she remained determined and consistent.
During her growth in the industry, Zahra would go on to train with celebrated acting coaches Tom Todoroff and Robyn Kay. Working with them helped Zahra learn how to make strong choices, get over her nerves, and feel grounded and confident when preparing for an audition. They helped her with questions she had about clothing, hair, makeup, body language, memorization skills, and most importantly, helping her get her scenes to a place where it felt like it was second nature for her.
Her first onscreen appearance was on Foxfire, a movie starring Angelina Jolie. This was an inspiring movie for Zahra, because for the first time, she saw some of the actresses that had gone to Wexford with her. Seeing this helped her realize the possibility of having that lead role. Her inner flame began to burn brighter, and this led to her first lead role in the comedy feature film Guidance as Jabrielle Crain. The film made its world premieres at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and was reviewed as an amusing riff on an increasingly familiar theme. This experience was another spark because this time, Zahra got to work closely with the writer, and director of the film.
All of this led to her latest colossal role; Zahra is set to play Nettie, the sweet and proper wife of Ransom (Kevin Carroll), in the historical story of Madam C.J. Walker. Her journey into this role started in January 2019. Pilot season takes place in L.A. usually at the beginning of each year. Actors come from all over the world to audition for movies. Zahra had decided to go down there with a fellow actress and friend Mouna Traoré to see what she could do to further her now blooming acting career.
It was a stressful time but having Mouna there made things a little easier. “Mouna and I prayed a lot during those months in L.A. We wanted to be part of a series together. “After giving it her all, she flew back to Toronto, and prayed to be picked up for the role. Ever the optimist, throughout her periods of doubt, she would always say to herself, “This is my role. I am going to get this! This is my season.” Then it happened. She got pinned. Getting pinned means that both the casting and production saw something in her, which meant that she might get the part. To add to her excitement, she found out that Mouna had also been pinned. The prayers had worked, and both Zahra and her friend received what they had asked for.
Zahra recalls first sitting across from Octavia Spencer, and all that she felt being on the set of Self Made. “When I looked at the script, I saw that I would be in a lot of scenes with Octavia. Nettie is a member of the National Association for Coloured Women and a great support to Sarah (Madam C.J. Walker) and her growing business. Being on set was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to kick it with Tiffany Haddish who is exactly what you see on stage, hilarious. Obviously working with greats like Blair Underwood and having my friend there has made this part of my journey even better. I am honoured, and grateful to be a part of this. It will be released on March 20th, and I hope everyone is ready for this well needed history lesson. “
If you want to catch up on Zahra’s latest work, you can find her on Spinning Out, a Netflix show that aired January 1st, 2020. In the show, Zahra plays the role of Alana, an upperclassman in college, a determined young woman wanting to make something of life.
Her incredible journey is one to be exalted. Keep going Zahra. You have a whole community routing for you.