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.

Has twins one daughter Maya Frankel, and one son Cooper Frankel, (b. April 2024).

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 La terre chinoise (1937), Jane Wyman for Johnny Belinda, l'enfant du silence (1948), Eleanor Parker for Femmes en cage (1950), Elizabeth Taylor for L'arbre de vie (1957), Leslie Caron for La Chambre indiscrète (1962), Shirley MacLaine for Irma la Douce (1963), Vanessa Redgrave for Isadora (1968), Geneviève Bujold for Anne des mille jours (1969), Marsha Mason for Permission d'aimer (1973), Ann-Margret for Tommy (1975), Ellen Burstyn for Même heure, l'année prochaine (1978), Jessica Lange for Sweet Dreams (1985), Meryl Streep for Un cri dans la nuit (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 Madres paralelas (2021).

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

Granddaughter of Melton Lee Ridley, and Lessie White Ridley.

Niece of Roger Ridley, Julia Van Mater-Miller, Mildred Ridley Dent, James D. Ridley, Tommy Lee Cherry, and Dorothy Pittman Hughes.

Cousin of Delethia Ridley-Malmsten, Angela Hughes, and Patrice Quinn.