No Time to Die actor was all smiles as she revealed she was pregnant at the premiere of her political thriller, The Day of the Jackal.
The 36-year-old British actor is expecting her first child with her partner Zackary Momoh although their due date is currently under wraps.
The screenstar – who has also appeared in The Woman King, The Marvels, and – made history in 2021 when she featured as the first Black female 007 (MI6 agent Nomi) in the franchise opposite .
And she’s adding another action role to the roster as she prepares to play Bianca, a British intelligence officer chasing after elite assassin the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) in a twisted cat-and-mouse game, for her latest series.
Celebrating the new 10-part show, the stars appeared on the red carpet earlier this week in The Big Apple.
Lashana wore an Ottolinger floor-length gown that combines several styles including a shirt-and-tie aesthetic and cheetah-print.
The look was polished off with a pair of gold hoops, a couple of rings and, of course, her baby bump (with the happy news also apparently coming as a surprise for co-star Eddie too.)
Lashana put plenty of thought behind the look she was going to use to announce her joyous update, as she
‘I wanted to keep the look really simple, poignant and effective,’ the actor, who also plays a mother in The Day of the Jackal, told the publication about her choice of dress.
‘I feel comfortable and at ease, but also in charge of myself. Some red carpet gowns, although beautiful and stunning, feel like you’re putting on a different part of yourself, whereas here I feel like I’m celebrating the female figure.’
She’s always keen to put her ‘best self forward’ at premieres but emphasised that doesn’t need to come at the cost of being ‘comfy and chill’.
She explained: ‘Sometimes it’s easy to forget that what you come with naturally is so beautiful and deserves to be celebrated in its own right.
‘You don’t have to put anything on you in order for you to feel stunning on a red carpet. Here, I get to just be comfy and chill. That’s kind of me all over, really.’
The actor shared several sweet moments with her co-stars, also including Ursula Corbero, on the carpet as they all posed for photographs together.
The Bob Marley: One Love actor has largely kept her relationship out of the spotlight, aside from the occasional appearance as a couple at high-profile events.
Lashana has been a trailblazer on screen in recent years.
In 2022, she opened up about what it meant to play iconic Roald Dahl character Miss Honey as a Black woman.
‘I feel like I’ve spiritually been given the opportunity to gift my childhood self what I didn’t get as a child, which is incredible.
‘I get to watch myself create something for younger generations today and going forward,’ she said at the time of the movie musical’s premiere.’
And it’s no different this time around, with Lashana explaining what makes her latest character Bianca, so brilliant.
‘I think generally, a lot of us Black women have a fear of being difficult. I don’t think that [Bianca] wears that fear at all. I think she has learnt to utilise it so that she can get what she wants, which is a skill we as Black women aren’t taught,’ she told .
And her vision was possible thanks to joining the show as not only the lead star but also as a co-executive producer.
The London-based creative added: ‘I saw it as my responsibility – and also a privilege – to be able to direct [Bianca] in a really careful, calm, explored and respectful way.’
The Day of the Jackal will be available to watch from November 7 on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
