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| Titans (2018) – Anna Diop cast as Starfire |
Get to know Teen Titan’s star, Anna Diop! Deadline just announced that Senegalese-born actress Anna Diop is playing the alien superhero known as Starfire. She’ll be one of the main cast members in the upcoming live-action show based on the Teen Titans comic book series. The show, named simply Titans, is premiering on DC and Warner Bro’s Digital Service in 2018.
Read on to learn more about the beautiful and talented actress Anna Diop.
1. Anna Diop Was Born in Africa
Anna Diop was born on February 6, 1988 in Dakar, Senegal.
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| Map of Dakar Senegal via Google Maps |
She moved to Houston Texas when she was six. As a first-generation immigrant, she still holds onto her heritage. “Obviously, I definitely consider myself an American, but I also consider myself Senegalese,” the 29-year-old actress said.
Growing up in Houston exposed her to many cultures and says her neighborhood “was extremely diverse”. Anna Diop added “My closest friends growing up were Indian, Nigerian, and Caucasian. I loved that about my upbringing.”
2. She Learned English From “Three’s Company”
Growing up in a foreign country is never easy, but thankfully television made it easier for Anna Diop. According to FOX’s bio page she learned English watching Three’s Company. It’s an old sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984.
Diop must have been watching reruns of the show and Janet (Joyce DeWitt), Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), and Jack (John Ritter) helped her the language. She must have studied hard because she has a flawless American accent.
3. A Forgotten Play Led Her to Acting
When Anna Diop was 12 a family friend left behind a script for a short play she was working on. The play is about two women; a social worker who was committed to her job and a woman desperate to get her son back.
The play inspired her and she fell in love with the characters. Diop wrote bios for the women, memorized their lines, and was amazed that these felt like real women brought to life.
After that, she caught the acting “bug” and begged her parents to let her pursue her dream. Anna Diop joined a local theatre group in Houston and worked on theatre productions at school.
4. Anna Diop Moved to LA at 17
In 2005, Diop moved to Los Angeles, California at to pursue her acting dream. The next year the 18-year-old actress got her first Hollywood role in Everybody Hates Chris as Diedra. She shows up in the episode “Everybody Hates a Liar” and appeared in three more episodes as Diedre and “Pretty Girl”. Pretty she is too.
That led to guest roles in shows like Lincoln Heights, Southland, and Touch before her first starring role. In 2015 she got the lead role in the show The Messengers as Rose Arvale. She also starred in the Fox series 24: Legacy as Nicole Carter.
5. Dark-Skinned Actresses Inspire Anna Diop
Starfire has orange skin, but Diop is proud of hers. Starfire, whose real name is Koriand’r is an alien from the planet Tamaran. We don’t know what kind of makeup she’ll have on, but we can assume they’ll cover her with orange paint. Of course, it doesn’t matter what color Starfire’s skin is, but Diop says that some her favorite actors are dark-skinned women.
She said she got the role in The Messengers thanks to Lupita Nyong’o. “When I was going out for The Messengers, they wanted someone similar to Lupita because Lupita was hot at that moment (and she’s still hot!),” Anna Diop told Essence, “Her being her opened doors, so she’s always someone who I’ll love and appreciate.”
Diop also says that Whoopi Goldberg’s performance in The Color Purple inspired her. “There’s room for everyone, and everyone is wanted and needed,” Diop said, “Whoopi showed me that. When I first saw The Color Purple, it was so huge. That was the first time I had seen myself, my mother, my aunts, women that I had known my whole life on-screen. It gives us hope, and it gives us confidence”
6. Anna Diop Loves Kickboxing
Diop says that she’s a big fan of Muay Thai. Muay Thai or Thai boxing is a combat sport of Thailand that’s grown in popularity. Anna Diop started studying Muay Thai for a movie role and fell in love with it. “It’s a beast of a workout and it’s a great way to relieve stress,” Diop told Just Jared Jr., “It takes a lot of concentration at times and it just makes you feel like a bada**.”
Besides Starfire’s powers of flight and energy projection she’s also a master of hand-to-hand combat and a fierce warrior, so expect that training to come in handy. Starfire is known for her flowing red hair, so it’ll take some skills to fight like that.
7. Anna Diop is related to a King
Starfire is an alien princess and Anna Diop is related to royalty. She told Hydrogen that she learned a surprising fact about her great great great grandfather. He’s the late Lat Dior Ngone Latyr Diop (also known as Lat Jor Ngone Latir Jop).
He was a soldier and King of one of the three territories of Senegal in the 1800’s. Lat Diop was a fierce warrior and made common cause with other Wolof and Fulani states to resist French colonialism in Africa. He’s a legend in Senegal with a monument in Dakar of his horse Maalaw.
Starfire is one of five original members of the superhero team called Teen Titans including Robin, Raven, Beast Boy and Aqualad. Starfire was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez and first appeared in DC Comics Presents #26. (1980). The series doesn’t have an airdate but is expected in 2018 on DC and Warner Bros upcoming digital service.
About Titans (2018)
Synopsis: “Titans follows a group of young soon-to-be superheroes recruited from every corner of the DC Universe. The series centers on Dick Grayson (aka Robin of Batman and Robin) as he emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven and many others. The series is an adaptation of the comic book series, which launched in the early ’60s.”
Starring Anna Diop as Starfire, and Teagan Croft as Raven
Written by Akiva Goldsman and Marc Haimes
Titans (2018) is scheduled to air in 2018
[Deadline]
What do you think of Anna Diop? Are you looking forward to her turn as Starfire?
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="32234 ">3 Comments
She's certainly had an interesting life. I don't think I've seen any of those things mentioned.
Let's hope the youngest of sisters, @ least she her as an inspiration.
Oh god! I super hate it when they cast the wrong race!!!