Trivia

Is one of 10 African-American actresses to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. The others in chronological order are: Dorothy Dandridge, Diana Ross, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Viola Davis, and Quvenzhané Wallis.

Has been a fan of the singing group 'N Sync since she was a teen and has attended 23 of their concerts.

Studied psychology at Mercy College, New York City.

Her father is from Senegal. Her mother is African-American, and is originally from Georgia.

Attended The City College of New York whose alumni include Edward G. Robinson Woody Allen, Ira Gershwin, Paddy Chayefsky, Stanley Kubrick, Eli Wallach among many others.

Attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College whose most famous alumnus is Queen Latifah.

She is a lifelong Democrat.

Daughter of Alice Tan Ridley.

Parents split when she was younger.

Is one of 20 actresses to have received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for a performance where they acted out a labor and/or birth; hers being for Precious (2009). The others in chronological order are Luise Rainer for The Good Earth (1937), Jane Wyman for Johnny Belinda (1948), Eleanor Parker for Caged (1950), Elizabeth Taylor for Raintree County (1957), Leslie Caron for The L-Shaped Room (1962), Shirley MacLaine for Irma la Douce (1963), Vanessa Redgrave for Isadora (1968), Geneviève Bujold for Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Marsha Mason for Cinderella Liberty (1973), Ann-Margret for Tommy (1975), Ellen Burstyn for Same Time, Next Year (1978), Jessica Lange for Sweet Dreams (1985), Meryl Streep for A Cry in the Dark (1988), Samantha Morton for In America (2002), Elliot Page for Juno (2007), Ruth Negga for Loving (2016), Yalitza Aparicio for Roma (2018), Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman (2020) and Penélope Cruz for Parallel Mothers (2021).

She and Adam Scarimbolo just signed with manager Jill Kaplan at Principal Entertainment.