Most recently seen in TV’s Lovecraft Country, Jurnee has been a familiar face on the screen since the ’90s and has truly come into her own as a powerful performer on the big screen.
Kasi Lemmons’ acclaimed directorial debut also introduced many viewers to 10-year-old Jurnee’s talent as the young girl of the title, who tries to parse out her parents’ life challenges with a semi-supernatural twist in 1960s Louisiana.
Inspired by the true story of the Kilpatrick Mustangs in 1990, this inspirational drama stars Dwayne Johnson as the force behind a football team created at a juvenile detention center. Jurnee made the transition to adult roles here as an inmate’s girlfriend who refuses to give up under the most daunting circumstances.
Also based on a true story, this drama stars Denzel Washington as a debate coach who strives to have his Black college team treated equitably in the South at the height of the Jim Crow era. Jurnee shines as Samantha, the team’s sole female member who goes on to make college debating history.
Jurnee joined the roster of Tyler Perry talent in this drama, adapted from his earlier stage play and also featuring Kim Kardashian and Vanessa Williams. Here Jurnee plays Judith, a therapist whose romantic choices turn into a cautionary tale about how we pick our life partners.
Jurnee entered the superhero fray as Dinah, a.k.a. Black Canary, part of the antihero team along with the antisocial Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) tasked with fighting the nefarious Roman (Ewan McGregor) and his minions. Jurnee gets to show off her character’s hypersonic scream, a power that comes in handy on more than one occasion in this action-packed extravaganza.