The Underground Railroad, a new Amazon Prime Video series, tells the story of Cora (Thuso Mbedu).
This piece contains slight spoilers for âThe Underground Railroad.âÂ
I took a deep breath before starting âThe Underground Railroad,â Barry Jenkinsâ TV adaptation of Colson Whiteheadâs Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.Â
The limited series, which premiered Friday on Amazon Prime Video, is a harrowing yet stunning 10-hour saga starring captivating newcomer Thuso Mbedu as Cora, an enslaved woman on a journey to freedom across the antebellum South by way of a literal subterranean train with conductors and secret passageways. Cora escapes the Randall Plantation in Georgia and makes it to the Carolinas, Tennessee and Indiana, with slave catcher Arnold Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton) on her heels at every turn. Ridgeway, who failed to capture Coraâs mother when she escaped the plantation, is hellbent on catching Cora.
How Joel Edgertonâs cruellest role turned into a blessing
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How Joel Edgertonâs cruellest role turned into a blessing
The 46-year-old actor was driven to play a ruthless slave catcher in the yearâs most anticipated TV series. It may be his defining moment.
May 12, 2021
Joel Edgerton asked to be considered for the role of slave catcher Arnold Ridgeway in The Underground Railroad.
Credit:Nic Walker
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Joel Edgerton knows how to find his way. Put the Australian actor behind the wheel of a car in a city for a few weeks and he gets âa blueprintâ of the streets in his head. Place him at the start of his career as a young Sydney drama school graduate and 25 years later Edgertonâs a leading Hollywood star and an accomplished writer and director. Whatever their form, the paths he forges are unique.
The Underground Railroad Review: Thuso Mbedu infuses her role with empathy and humanity, captures both terror and tenderness. Joel Edgerton's is a powerful presence. Chase W. Dillon is a consummate scene-stealer.