Canadian actor Zahra Bentham in Madam C.J Walker Netflix series
January 26, 2020
Canadian actor Zahra Bentham had no idea who Madam C.J Walker was when she auditioned last year for a recurring role in Netflix’s upcoming limited series about the legendary entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist.
Orphaned at age seven and married when she was 14, the product of slaves rose from poverty to invent a line of African-American hair products and become the first Black woman millionaire in the United States.
“Once I got the audition, I did my research and realized how amazing this woman was,” said Bentham. “This is the biggest film project I was associated with and I was determined to do well. I remember going in, saying, ‘This one is mine’.
The Durham resident was cast in the role of Nettie, a member of the National Association of Coloured Women who is very intelligent and supportive to Sarah (Madam C.J Walker) and her business.
The four-part mini-series, based on the book ‘On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J Walker’ written by her great great granddaughter A’Leila Bundles who is a journalist, debuts on March 20.
The executive producers include National Basketball Association (NBA) star LeBron James and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer who plays Madam C.J Walker.
“Octavia is a super sweet person,” said Bentham who started taking Acting seriously in Grade 11. “She’s grounded and cares very deeply about her work.”
The cast also includes Eritrean-American comedian/actor Tiffany Haddish who plays Leila, Walker’s daughter with her first husband, and Grammy Award-winner Blair Underwood who plays Walker’s husband, Charles James.
“Tiffany is like the energizer bunny,” Bentham noted. “She’s always cracking a joke and making people laugh. On the other hand, she’s very serious about her work. Blair is a sweet heart and charmer. The entire cast is amazing and I really enjoyed being around them.”
The series was shot between July 26 to September 20 last year in Mississauga, Cambridge and St. Catharine.
Bentham’s first acting role was in the TV series, ‘Cracked’, a Canadian police crime drama aired on CBC in 2013. She also played a leading role in the acclaimed feature comedy, ‘Guidance’, which premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and other credits include ‘Private Eyes’, ‘Ransom’, ‘Rookie Blue’ and ‘The Code’.
The Wexford School for the Arts graduate was cast in ‘Spinning Out’, an American drama web TV series that premiered on Netflix on January 1.
The series stars Kaya Scodelario as Kat Baker, a young ice skater who suffers a serious injury and is offered the opportunity to restart her career as a pairs skater while hiding her family's history of mental illness.
Zahra Bentham
Viola Davis, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2017, is the actor that Bentham reveres the most.
Davis is the recipient of an Academy, Emmy and two Tony Awards.
“She has a strong work ethic and takes her craft very seriously,” Bentham, who played basketball in high school and at the Triple A level, pointed out. “I really admire, honour and respect the time and effort she puts into her work and the results are there to back it up.”
The versatile artist is working on her first EP (extended play) record expected to be released later this year.
Bentham is the product of a creative family that includes her mother, Sylvia Bentham who was an opera singer and member of a Caribbean Folk group and Music in Motion. Her eldest sister, Jamila Bentham-Bryce is a teacher who sings and middle sister Aisha participated in the seventh season of Amazing Race Canada last year with good friend Nekeita Lee.
