Sope Aluko ( ; born July 5, 1975) is a Nigerian-born British-American actress.
Life and career Aluko was born in Nigeria. She was raised in the United Kingdom, as her father was in the diplomatic service, which resulted in her traveling many places. Ultimately, she began attending boarding school at ten and studied in the U.K. where she grew up and earned her master's degree in Marketing. Sope had previously tried theater, but her parents did not approve of it. She traveled to America while she was on holiday and ran into her future husband "by accident". She stayed and worked in Corporate America for fifteen years. After her parents died, she decided to pursue acting again. On her background, Sope said, "When I started off in this industry...they would say, “I love your accent but…” I just didn't trust myself enough. I started going to classes to try to get rid of my accent. One day, I just said, NO because this is me. If that doesn't work then maybe I'm just not cut out for this. The minute I did that, things just changed."like it was magic
Since then, Sope has made numerous appearances on television since then including Bloodline, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Parks and Recreation, Burn Notice, Graceland and Army Wives. She has also acted in feature films including Identity Thief and Pitch Perfect 2.
In early 2018, Sope began gaining attention for nabbing a role in the Marvel Studios film Black Panther as a Shaman. Her casting was met with praise in her home town in Nigeria. On being in the movie Sope stated, "I had to make sure I was fit for the role because one of my scenes that was going to involve some physical activity...And then for my role, I had to speak in a different accent. I made sure I did my research about the accent...I wanted to make sure I was prepared prior to coming on set." She expressed that being in the movie was a dream come true and hoped that she could expand her acting to Nollywood. Sope later appeared in Venom, her character was given the name Dr. Rosie Collins.
In 2022, Sope was cast in the lead for a new Hulu series titled Bammas.
Personal life Sope Aluko is married and has two sons. She is a practicing Christian.
Due to her role in Black Panther, Miami-Dade County, Florida Mayor Carlos A. Giménez has labeled April 10 as "Sope Aluko Day".
Filmography + Film roles Year Title Role Notes2009Up in the AirSoftware WomanUncredited2009ReckoningJennifer CarsonShort film2009Corporate KarmaPennyShort film2010RealmAlyssa's TeacherShort film201196 MinutesPrison Worker2011Overruled: Government Invasion of Your Parental RightsSpokeswomanShort film2012Message in a BottleAngelaShort film2013Identity ThiefSecretary at Prominence Denver2014SabotageReceptionistUncredited2014UntoldRecords Clerk2014The Good LieProcessing Office Woman2015Pitch Perfect 2French Commentator2015American UltraKrueger's WifeUncredited2015JoyFimiShort film201613 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of BenghaziBBC News AnchorUncredited2016Remember WhenMaggieShort film2017All Summers EndMrs. Morris2018Black PantherSope the Shaman2018VenomDr. Rosie Collins2019The Best of EnemiesHenrietta Kaye2022Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverSope the Shaman
+ Television roles Year Title Role Notes2012America's Most Wanted: America Fights BackSherly PierreEpisode: "Emmana Michel"2012Burn NoticeDr. WinnickEpisode: "Last Rites"2012Army WivesLaura OakleyEpisode: "The War at Home"2013The GladesZombie NurseEpisode: "Apocalypse Now"2013Parks and RecreationLisa2 episodes2013The ArrangementMarianaTV movie2013Law & Order: Special Victims UnitReporter #2Episode: "American Tragedy"2013-2014RavenswoodDoctor2 episodes2015ZooHostEpisode: "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"2015GracelandAgent Avery Stanwood4 episodes2015How to Get Away with MurderDetective Shelby DiazEpisode: "She's Dying"2015SatisfactionDetective LacyEpisode: "...Through Travel"2015The Mindy ProjectNadineEpisode: "Mindy and Nanny"2017The InspectorsProfessor Madeline MagoroEpisode: "Trial by Error"2017Shots FiredJudge Margeaux MatthewsEpisode: "Hour Six: The Fire This Time"2017BloodlineShana Wilson2 episodes2018CounterpartNurse JacquelineEpisode: "No Man's Land - Part Two"2021LegaciesAyomi3 episodes2023Captain FallAdditional voicesEpisode: "Je Suis Tanner"
References
External links