Jodie Turner-Smith (born 7 September 1986) is a British actress. She made her feature film debut in The Neon Demon (2016) and has since acted in Queen & Slim (2019), After Yang (2022), White Noise (2022), and Tron: Ares (2025). She is also known for her television roles in the TNT series The Last Ship (2017), the Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey (2024), the Syfy series Nightflyers (2018), and for portraying the title role in the Channel 5 series Anne Boleyn (2021).
Early life Turner-Smith was born on 7 September 1986 in Peterborough, England to Jamaican parents; she is the only one of her siblings who was not born in Jamaica. She resided in Peterborough until she was 10 years old. After her parents divorced, she emigrated to the United States with her mother, brother and half-sister, residing in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
Turner-Smith studied finance at the University of Pittsburgh; she graduated in 2008 and subsequently worked at a bank. She has lived in Los Angeles since 2009.
Career In 2009, a mutual friend introduced Turner-Smith to musician Pharrell Williams after a N.E.R.D. concert. When she told him she was looking to become a writer, he convinced her to become a model and move to Los Angeles. She made her acting debut in 2013 as a siren in True Blood, which led to numerous minor roles in films and music videos between 2013 and 2017. During this time, she was credited as Jodie Smith. In 2016, she appeared in the music video for Zayn Malik's "Pillowtalk."
Turner-Smith first came to prominence playing Sgt. Azima Kandie in the 2017–2018 season of the TNT series The Last Ship. She had a major role as Melantha Jhirl in the 2018 Syfy/Netflix series Nightflyers. She played Josie in the Cinemax series Jett, which premiered in June 2019, and starred in the 2019 film Queen & Slim opposite Daniel Kaluuya.
In October 2020, it was announced that Turner-Smith would be portraying Queen Anne Boleyn in Anne Boleyn, a three-part drama series on Channel 5, which details the final months of Boleyn's life. Her casting was met with backlash due to her being a Black person. The series premiered in May 2021, with Turner-Smith's performance receiving praise. In January 2021, it was announced that she was cast as Éile, a warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess, in The Witcher: Blood Origin, a six-episode limited series prequel to The Witcher. In April 2021, Netflix announced that she had departed the project due to scheduling conflicts and a change in the production schedule.
Turner-Smith starred in Kogonada's sci-fi drama After Yang alongside Colin Farrell. The film was released in March 2022. In September 2022, she joined the Star Wars Disney+ series The Acolyte. In June 2023, it was announced that Turner-Smith would join the cast of Tron: Ares alongside Jared Leto.
Personal life Turner-Smith began a relationship with actor Joshua Jackson in October 2018. They married in late 2019 and their daughter was born in April 2020. In October 2023, it was revealed that Turner-Smith had filed for divorce from Jackson. In May 2025, it was reported that the couple had reached a divorce settlement.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released Film Year Title Role Notes 2016 The Neon Demon Roberta Hoffmann's assistant 2017 Lemon Beverly Newness Statuesque woman 2019 Queen & Slim Angela "Queen" Johnson 2021 Without Remorse Karen Greer After Yang Kyra 2022 White Noise Winnie Richards The Independent Elisha "Eli" James Also executive producer 2023 Murder Mystery 2 Countess Sekou 2025 A Big Bold Beautiful Journey GPS' voice Voice Tron: Ares Athena TBA TBA Filming TBA (voice) Filming
Television Year Title Role Notes 2013 True Blood Siren #2 4 episodes 2015–2016 Mad Dogs Angel 2 episodes 2016 Ice Lady Rah's masseuse 1 episode 2017–2018 The Last Ship Sgt. Azima Kandie 20 episodes 2018 Nightflyers Melantha Jhirl 10 episodes 2019 Jett Josie 9 episodes 2021 Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn 3 episodes 2023 Sex Education God Recurring role 2024 Star Wars: The Acolyte Mother Aniseya 3 episodes Bad Monkey Dragon Queen / Gracie Main role 2024–present The Agency Sami Zahir Main role 2025 Star Wars: Visions Eno Voice; episode: "The Bounty Hunters"
Music video appearances Year Song Artist 2009 "Walkin' on the Moon" The-Dream feat. Kanye West 2012 "Black Girls" Chester French 2013 "Cool Song No. 2" MGMT "" Devendra Banhart 2014 "Dear Diamond" Blaqstarr feat. Common 2016 "Pillowtalk" Zayn Malik "Make Me (Cry)" Noah Cyrus feat. Labrinth 2023 "You Only Love Me" Rita Ora 2026"Opalite"Taylor Swift
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