Her Excellence — Zahra Bentham
Photo by: Chelly
Actress, singer, song-writer, ZAHRA BENTHAM, is taking the acting world by storm! As she gears up to star in Netflix’s ‘Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam C.J. Walker’, we sat down to discuss her start, rejection she faced, and what’s next for the rising star.
CHELLY IN THE CITY: Who is Zahra Bentham?
ZAHRA BENTHAM: My name is Zahra Bentham. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I am an actress, singer, and song-writer.
I grew up playing AA and AAA basketball where I was in the gym four to five days a week while also in high school.
I went to Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. I was in the drama-focus, musical theatre, and dance-intensive program and doing all of those things was a lot, so by the end of grade 10, I had to make a final decision on what I wanted to focus on and that was the arts.
CITC: At what point did you realize that you wanted to take your acting career to the next level?
ZB: I’d say there were a lot of conflicts going on (balancing the arts and sports) with rehearsals and practices because I was both team captain of my AA basketball team and my school team. It just became a lot and I started asking myself questions. My team and I would see each other almost everyday of the week and that was also a conversation we were having: “what are the next steps?” I was considering going to Michigan State for basketball, but it just came down to longevity wise, what’s worth it? If I were to become a female basketball player, how far can I really go with it? Weighing the two, the arts vs. basketball, to me the best decision was the arts.
CITC: To date, you have starred in Rookie Blue, Cracked, Private Eyes, Guidance, White Lie, and Spinning Out. In the midst of landing these notable acting jobs, did you face rejection from other gigs? If so, how did you deal with this?
There’s so many “no’s” I’ve gotten, so many “no’s.” It took me about a year to get my first agent, so you can only imagine in that process of being shut down so many times by so many agencies; even the one that did shut me down, ended up taking me.
In this industry, you have to have very thick skin. Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments too where I’m super depressed and like: “sh*t! I didn’t get that, I don’t book that. What am I going to do for money?” It’s a real thing. Again, if you want to be in this industry you have to have thick skin, be consistent, persistent, if this is what you really want to do.
Photo by: Chelly
❝ If you want to be in this industry you have to have thick skin, be consistent, persistent, if this is what you really want to do. ❞
CITC: Has there ever been a time where you have compared yourself to other actors and their journey? If so, how did you overcome this?
ZB: Good question. I get compared to her all the time; her name is Ryan Destiny. I had an audition for a pilot that was picked up and it was called “Star”. I remember getting the audition and thinking: “oh, this could be so good. Not only is it acting, but it’s also singing.” I put my all into it and my team followed up with the producers and Lee Daniels and they said: “she’s really great, but we’re not going to move forward because she doesn’t have a visa.” When the show came out, seeing Ryan Destiny, I was just like: “wow, we’re literally twins.” I’d say, not to compare, but someone who is in that same lane as me, looks wise, it can easily be compared to. Everyone’s journey is different and you can’t get caught up in the fact of what they’re doing. What’s she doing? What’s he doing? Oh, she booked that or he booked that. Everyone has a piece of the pie, man. When it’s your time and when it’s for you, it’ll be for you.
Photo by: Chelly
❝ Everyone’s journey is different and you can’t get caught up in the fact of what they’re doing. What’s she doing? What’s he doing? Oh, she booked that or he booked that. Everyone has a piece of the pie, man. When it’s your time and when it’s for you, it’ll be for you. ❞
CITC: You kicked off this year with the recent premiere of Netflix’s Spinning Out. What drew you to the script?
ZB: When I flew back to Toronto, I had gotten the audition for Spinning Out. That week was a very busy week for me because I had a lot of auditions to bang out. Spinning Out was part of that group of auditions that I had. I didn’t really put much thought into it, it was kind of just another one; obviously do a good job and do the work. I didn’t actually read the script, I just read the break-down and the break-down explained it was about figure-skating and that world. Also dealing with mental health. I was like: “Oh my gosh, I can get back on the ice, this could be amazing” because I also grew up skating as well. It wasn’t my main thing saying “this has to be it,” but I just did the work. The turn-around time was very quick, they needed their girl as soon as possible, so I sent out the audition and within a couple of days, I got the call that I was pinned for it. Waited another day and I booked the job. I’ve never booked from a tape, so that was my first time.
CITC: How did you connect with the show as a whole?
ZB: I would say mental health has been such a topic that has been so hush, hush to talk about. The fact that Netflix has given a platform for Spinning Out to talk about it in the households is a great thing. Everybody needs help and if this is a project that could inspire others to get the help that they need or to identify what issues they have through our characters, that’s amazing.
CITC: You are set to star alongside Octavia Spencer and Tiffany Haddish in the highly anticipated Netflix series, Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam C.J. Walker. Tell me about your role and your experience filming the show.
ZB: Filming that show was an absolute pleasure. I smile because the moments we’ve had on set have just been so amazing. Working alongside Tiffany Haddish, Octavia Spencer, Blair Underwood, Kevin Carroll, there’s so many names that are a part of it. When I originally got that audition, I saw that Octavia was attached, but it wasn’t my end goal to be like: “this one is mine.” It was more so just understanding the story and who it was about. Not even knowing who Madam C.J. Walker, Sarah Breedlove, I thought: “wow, why haven’t we learned this in school?” And so, that gave me even more of a passion be like: “Man, I really want to be apart of this and to tell this story in the most authentic way.”
On her character:
ZB: I play a character by the name of Nettie Ransom and she is the loyal wife of Ransom; he goes by Ransom in the show. I’m a part of the Indiana Coloured Women’s Club and we basically help Madam C.J. Walker start her haircare business for both black men and women and that’s all I’ll say.
CITC: What can the viewers take away from this series?
ZB: I just hope that it’s a history lesson for people. A lot of people, especially our generation, don't know about Madam C.J. Walker; what she did, what she stood by, and how she became a successful self-made billionaire back in 1912. I hope that it inspires people that are on a path like Madam C.J. Walker of building their life the way they want to build it.
Photo by: Chelly
❝ I just hope that it’s a history lesson for people. A lot of people, especially our generation, don't know about Madam C.J. Walker; what she did, what she stood by, and how she became a successful self-made billionaire back in 1912. I hope that it inspires people that are on a path like Madam C.J. Walker of building their life the way they want to build it. ❞
CITC: Aside from acting, you also sing. In 2017, you collaborated with record producer, Jordan Evans, on a video for Black Lives Matter. Are there any music projects that you are working on that you can share with me?
ZB: Yes! I’m currently working on my album right now which has been an interesting process. Just because it’s the first thing that I’ll be releasing; this is something I’ve been talking about doing for a very long time. The only pressure that’s on it is for myself, just to make sure that I’m happy with it. I hope to release some things in the next couple of months, God willing. I’ll probably release a single first, but I’m really, really excited about it.
CITC: If you could be in a remake of any movie what would it be?
CITC: Woah! The first thing that came to mind is Salt. So a little secret, I absolutely enjoy movies that are about a female lead who is a bad ass chick and undercover. The very first movie that inspired me to act was Colombiana and I wouldn’t even mind doing that too. It has been a dream of mine to do a film that involves whipping out guns and killing people. But, if I really had to think about it, I would do Set It Off.
Photo by: Chelly
CITC: 2020 is shaping up to be a prosperous year for you! With that being said, what’s next for Zahra?
ZB: I’m just back on the grind to be completely honest. I’m an unemployed actor. I’ll be so real with you, when you book a job, it’s a great thing. It’s like: “wooo!” But when you wrap, it’s like sh*t! I’m an unemployed actor as of right now. I’m in the thick of pilot season, so I’m auditioning a lot for pilots and some projects. God willing, something pulls through.
CITC: Finally, what makes you excellent?
ZB: My heart. I think to be a really good human being you have to have a really good heart. Before acting or any other profession, you have to have a good heart.
Photos by: Chelly
❝ I think to be a really good human being you have to have a really good heart. Before acting or any other profession, you have to have a good heart. ❞
For more Zahra Bentham, visit her Instagram and check her out on Netflix’s Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker which airs March 20, 2020.