or like Alfre Woodard, who played Sarabi in the 2019 live-action adaptation. Jenkins, 45, had faith in Boone's talent and encouraged her to be herself as they developed Sarabi's backstory.

“When I found out I was playing Sarabi, I had a chat with Barry Jenkins ... do you want me to sound like the prior performances, like Alfre Woodard?” Boone recalled to Blavity’s Shadow ...