Cherrelle Skeete – Favourite Things

Cherrelle Skeete is a British actress, writer and co-founder of Blacktress UK. She is best known for her role as Rose Granger-Weasley in the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2016 and has appeared on stage at the National Theatre, the Hampstead Theatre and the Young Vic, amongst others. Most recently she has played CIA agent Terri Miller in Amazon Prime’s Hanna, which returned to screens for its third season last month.

These are a few of Cherrelle Skeete’s favourite things…

Ackee and saltfish 

Ackee and Saltfish is the national dish of Jamaica, eaten throughout the day with fried dumpling, white rice, rice and peas or hard food. It has been my favourite since I was a child when it would land on my plate throughout the week, made carefully by my mum. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to visit my family’s home island of Jamaica and eat it there. It’s a taste of home and my heritage that takes me back with every bite. I haven’t mastered the perfect friend dumpling yet, so I’m still a work in progress.

My kitten

For my last birthday, my youngest sister got me a kitten. At the time, my partner and I were recovering from covid, our house was due to be decorated and I was still filming The Midwich Cuckoos. Where was the space for a new little life? I went home to Birmingham to meet him and as soon as the grey ball of fluff with blue eyes looked at me, that was it, he was coming back to London with us and I was in love. Over the past few months, he has taught me to slow down and appreciate quiet moments with him slumped across my lap. I’m now part of the Cat Mom club with endless selfies of me and him on my camera roll, with friends and family getting regular updates on how he’s doing.

Birmingham

Apparently, I speak a lot about my home city of Birmingham. Moving away has made me appreciate the community I come from even more and knowing the rich history, I can connect the dots to see how it has birthed the vibrant rich culture. I read somewhere that our personality is a direct result of every person we have ever been in contact with; these people have spoken life into me to have made me this Birmingham proud. I was so fortunate to grow up in the city when we had a carnival, celebrated Marcus Garvey day and there were more spaces and funding to support the talents of young people. If you come to Digbeth (5 minutes from the legendary Bullring) and pass by the iconic SUKI10C grassroots music venue, you will see my face with other creatives hailing from our beloved “Brum” on a mural painted by internationally renowned artist Gent48. We are definitely the city of culture.

Blacktress UK

In 2017 I co-founded Blacktress UK. What began as a dinner between black female actors has grown into a network and a producing house curating workshops and events that centre on the work of Women and Femmes of the African diaspora. We collaborated throughout lockdown over zoom and, like everyone else, we have been finding ways to be sustainable as a grassroots organisation. To be of service to this incredible community is an honour, they have become a part of my family. It is a space where I don’t have to explain who I am and we get to explore how that intersects with making art.

Black girl underwear 

On my first day of filming for Hanna, I went into my trailer and saw a pair of black girl nude underwear to my exact complexion. I almost cried I felt so seen. I took a video and shared it on my Instagram stories and so many friends and fellow black actresses were happy for me, knowing how rare this experience is. I have to shout out Nubian Skin for leading the way on this. To feel seen and catered for as a black actress is a sign of appreciation. Normalising your existence onset is such a refreshing feeling.

Enjoyed Cherrelle Skeete’s favourites? Explore last week’s Favourite Things here.