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Rutina Wesley. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Top 10 Incredible Facts about Rutina Wesley

Rutina Wesley is best known for her role as Tara Thorton in True Blood, a gritty Southern vampire drama (2008). She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, a city known for its glitz and glamour, and was exposed to the arts at a young age; in fact, entertainment runs through her veins.

Her father, Ivery Wheeler, is a well-known tap dancer, and her mother, Cassandra Wesley, worked as a showgirl on the Las Vegas strip. Rutina studied dance for many years before earning an undergraduate degree in Theatre Performance from Indiana’s University of Evansville. She was fortunate to be accepted by the prestigious Julliard School. Rutina was fortunate enough to spend a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art during her time at Julliard. Fortune smiled on Rutina once more when one of her Julliard classmates, Nelsan Ellis, reconnected with her as her True Blood co-star (2008).

1. Her parents were both dancers

Sometimes it appears that show business runs in the family, as it does for Rutina Wesley. Her father used to be a tap dancer and her mother used to be a Las Vegas showgirl, so you can see where she got her love of performing from. While she may not be the dancer that they once were, she has managed to gain an audience and find another way to entertain them. Getting people to pay attention so that your reputation can grow is what really matters.

2. Rutina Wesley has a BA in Theatre Performance

Rutina Wesley. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

After Wesley received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance in 2001, her grandmother suggested she take a nursing course as a practical back-up plan, but Wesley insisted on continuing her artistic education. She enrolled in 2001 at the Juilliard School and graduated in May 2005. Among her studies was a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

This is nice to see, but honestly, the fact that many actors have degrees in other fields and are still quite skilled at what they do is just as pleasing. The truth is that seeing entertainers who are educated and did not drop out is preferable, though many who did do so manage to return to school and complete their education.

3. Her career started soon after she graduated

A graduate in her gown. Photo by Patty Brito.

After she graduated in May 2005. Wesley had a small part in the 2005 film Hitch that was cut from the final cut.

She then appeared in David Hare’s Broadway play The Vertical Hour in December 2006. Wesley also appeared in the 2007 Public Theater production of Winter Miller’s play In Darfur, co-starring Heather Raffo and Aaron Lohr, among others.

In 2007, she made her on-screen debut as the main character in British director Ian Iqbal Rashid’s film How She Move. Tony Manero, played by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, inspired the character Raya Green, who enters a step-dancing competition to raise funds for her education.  Wesley went through a five-week dance rehearsal period prior to filming. She received dialect coaching for the role of a woman of Jamaican descent.

4. She plays music before going on stage for an audition 

Rutina Wesley tries to make bold intentions and choices. Sometimes she chooses music that she believe captures the essence of the character. However, the lines are never an issue. She holds the pages so they know she’s auditioning and not performing.

She memorizes because she believes that if you have your face in those pages, they won’t be able to see you.

5. Rutina Wesley landed a role on Arrow’s fourth season

Rutina Wesley was cast in a regular role on Arrow’s fourth season. She’s a relatively unknown comic book character better known as Lady Cop (seriously). She first appeared in the 1970s as a female police officer who solved crimes. However, in The CW series, “Arrow’s spin on the character is said to be surprisingly different as she will be a member of the anti-vigilante task force.” The Star City Police Department appears to be dissatisfied with Oliver Queen’s return as the Green Arrow! 

6. Wesley was cast in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar

Rutina Wesley. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

When Queen Sugar first aired, there weren’t a lot of shows depicting love in a nuanced way, especially among Black families and Black characters. Rutina Wesley, who played the series’ feisty and free Nova Bordelon. Queen Sugar has taken viewers on an emotional journey through trauma and healing since its debut seven seasons ago in September 2016.

Wesley felt that playing Nova- in Queen Sugar for so many years taught her a lot about herself. Nova being an activist has made her more of an activist in the sense that she know has a platform and that sometimes posts stuff and people actually listen. She has learnt to do a lot of research before posting anything, especially if it’s political or about anything else. 

7. Rutina Wesley is bi-sexual

Coming out concept. Hand turns a dice and changes the expression “I love women” to “I love men”. Photo by Fokusiert.

In a series of heartfelt Instagram photos posted in November 2017, Rutina Wesley revealed her engagement to her girlfriend, a New Orleans woman known as Chef Shonda. This came after Wesley filed for divorce on August 16, 2013, after separating in July, citing irreconcilable differences. She was married to actor Jacob Fishel, a former Juilliard classmate, in 2005.

Wesley, appeared to refer to Shonda in the caption as “the light of my life” and the “fire of my loins.” The photo series ended with a close-up of an engagement ring, despite the fact that Wesley never used the words “gay,” “lesbian,” or “bisexual” in her posts.

8. Rutina Wesley acted while she was in junior high

Rutina Wesley. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

When she was about 7, she performed Finian’s Rainbow. When she was in junior high, she started doing plays, and her drama teacher there recommended that she attend the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts. At the time, their school was brand new, and their first show was Fame. Up to date she adores the film.

9. Wesley went through a five-week dance rehearsal period prior to filming How She Move

A dance group practicing. Photo by Miguel 脕ngel Hern谩ndez.

Rutina Wesley acts asRaya Green. Who plays the lead in How She Move, a coming-of-age story about a gifted but disaffected daughter of Jamaican immigrants in a rough Toronto neighborhood who sees competing in dance competitions as a way to fulfill her dream of returning to boarding school. 

They practiced for 5 weeks, 9 hours a day, 6 days a week. It was painful, but it was well worth it. None of the other guys on the team were dancers either. They only dance in clubs or play basketball; they are not formally trained. But by the end of the five weeks, they had formed a cohesive unit. 

10. She will be a part of Visforvoices in December

Visforvoices is an audioplay commemorating the stories of Black women in Accra, Ghana. It honors Black women’s voices, values, and visions in the global movement to end violence against women and girls. They gathered stories, engaged in collective listening, and collaborated with Black women and non-binary actors and musicians to produce content that will be shared with the rest of the world.