Amandla Stenberg was the perfect Rue in Hunger Games! Since playing the fan-favorite character in the 2012 movie, she’s gone on to star in so many other exciting projects! Keep reading to see what Amandla has been up to now.
Who Did Amandla Stenberg Play In ‘Hunger Games’?
Amandla played Rue, a 12-year-old tribute from District 11 who was selected to participate in the 74th Hunger Games alongside Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence). After striking an alliance with Katniss, the two young girls attempt to survive the Hunger Games, until Rue’s character tragically dies in Katniss’ arms.
“It does feel really special to have begun my career with [The Hunger Games] and to be in a place now where I can be cast in the lead in this sort of thing,” Amandla told Buzzfeed News in 2018. “I don’t know that that would have been possible at the time in the same way.”
What Has Amandla Stenberg Been Up to Since ‘Hunger Games’?
Directly after Hunger Games, Amandla had a recurring role as Macey Irving in the series Sleepy Hollow, and also starred in the sitcom Mr. Robinson.
Their role as Maddy Whittier in Everything, Everything (2017) and Starr Carter in The Hate U Give (2018) garnered Amandla critical acclaim, with the latter winning her the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and a nomination for the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Actor/Actress.
They’ve also starred as Ruby in the 2018 sci-fi movie The Darkest Minds, Alana Beck in 2021’s Dear Evan Hansen and Sophie in the horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies.
In 2015, she made her musical debut as part of the folk-rock duo Honeywater. Fun fact: her single “Let My Baby Stay” was featured in Everything, Everything.
In January 2016, Amandla came out as bisexual, and a few months later came out as non-binary, explaining that she uses both she/her and they/them pronouns. In June 2018, in an interview with Wonderland Magazine, Amandla came out as gay. Throughout 2018, Amandla dated singer Mikaela Mullaney Straus, better known by her stage name King Princess.
“My sexuality is not a byproduct of my past experiences with men, who I have loved, but rather a part of myself I was born with and love deeply,” she told the outlet, before explaining how representation in media was extremely important to her queer journey. “Having more representations of black gay women now and seeing myself reflected in them has been a huge aid in seeing myself as whole, complete, and normal.”
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