Little Simz

Little Simz lets a character stay quiet. As Shola, the young teacher in Steve (2025), she suggests feelings with little dialogue or overt action, trusting us to pay attention. We find that restraint persuasive, particularly in an ensemble where a supporting actor might be tempted to compete for notice. It also makes her dependent on the time a director gives her, and Tim Mielants's restless school drama is not always the right setting for such patience.

Her screen work began with Spirit Warriors (2010), followed by a small part in Ill Manors (2012) and Youngers (2013), before music took priority. The significant return was Shelley in Top Boy (2019), working in Ronan Bennett's ensemble alongside Kano. The recurring role gave her understated, naturalistic presence room to become familiar across several seasons. These community-rooted parts suit her, though a cameo as herself in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) offers little further evidence of what she can do as an actor.

We were frustrated by Steve because Cillian Murphy and Jay Lycurgo make us care about its people, while the direction keeps hurrying us past them. Simz's contribution sits within that limitation: there is scope for small, complicated feelings, but the film is short of the time needed to know its characters. We would recommend it to those interested in school dramas, with that reservation firmly attached. She also wrote and performed the end-credits theme, though her contribution to the soundtrack should not determine how we judge her acting.

There is still a question about how much these parts have asked of her. Supporting roles in British ensembles tell us less about how she would sustain a film built around her. There is no reason to treat that limited selection of parts as the limit of her ability, but we need more evidence before making larger claims. For a proper introduction to her acting, start with the sustained work in Top Boy.