WOC Wednesday: Sibylla Deen

Sibylla Deen is someone I see a lot of on my TV nowadays. First, there’s FX’s Tyrant, in which she plays the long-suffering Nusrat Al-Fayeed. As the wife of Jamal’s son Ahmed, Nusrat has a lot more to do deal with than she bargained for, with the majority of her problems coming from Jamal, who raped her (or as he would say, tested her virginity) during her wedding reception. Now that Nusrat is in the family, she’s adamant about making sure her and Ahmed’s unborn son will be the one to take over power, thereby allowing her to exact revenge on Jamal and the entire family.

Second is TUT. I was able to get a review copy of TUT, so I’ve already seen the first night of the Spike TV event series. I’m happy to say that Deen is just as amazing in TUT as she is in Tyrant. In TUT, she plays Ankhe, Tutankhamun’s sister/wife. However, even though she wants to fulfill her duties as queen (and retain her power), she is in love with Ka, Tut’s best friend and member of the military. That’s about all I can say on that without getting into my review of TUT, which is coming soon.

In both roles, Deen shows strength amid adversity, which might be a cliche statement to make, but it’s very true when it comes to her characters. Both women are put in impossible roles, and both come to terms with how they can make their mark and be themselves while dealing with horrible circumstances. Let’s hope Deen gets a nomination for either one of these roles or both, since she’s been doing some stellar work.

What do you think of Sibylla Deen in either Tyrant or TUT? Give your opinions in the comments section below and make sure to follow COLOR on Facebook and Twitter!

TYRANT — “State of Emergency” — Episode 101 (Airs Tuesday, July 1, 10:00 pm e/p — Pictured: (L-R) Sibylla Dean as Nusrat, Zohair Avu Hanna as Yahia — CR: Vered Adir/FX