While 2018 may be winding down, the year of Janelle Monáe is still in full swing. According to Deadline, the singer-actress has joined the cast of The Glorias: A Life on the Road, a biography on the life of activist and journalist Gloria Steinem. Monáe will portray Dorothy Pitman Hughes, a civil rights activist and co-founder of Ms. Magazine.
Monáe is no stranger to the silver screen. She made her on-screen debut in 2016’s Oscar-winning film Moonlight, and later in Hidden Figures as mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson.
Directed by Julie Taymor and produced by Alex Saxs along support from Taymor and Lynn Hendee, The Glorias will explore Steinem’s journey to become an advocate for equal rights and her trailblazing work as a journalist and campaigner.
In other Monáe-related acting news, she will appear in DreamWorks Welcome to Marwen, later this month. She has also signed on for other major productions, including STX’s animated film UglyDolls, Disney’s Lady and the Tramp remake, and an unannounced role in the upcoming Harriet Tubman biopic, Harriett.
On top of her acting gigs, Monáe recently landed two 2019 Grammy nominations for her Dirty Computer work, which was accompanied by an emotion picture. The LP is up for Album of the Year, while “PYNK” is nominated for Best Music Video.
Words by Danielle Brissett