Saniyya Sidney began studying acting at five years old. Her life’s dedication is to her craft.
Her first role was iconic. Filming five weeks in New Orleans, she played “Young Kizzy” in the new adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots. She loved working with her director, Mario Van Peebles.
Next, she was off to Atlanta on another historic project, playing Taraji P. Henson’s daughter in the feature Hidden Figures. The film also stars Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, and Kevin Costner. The cast went on to earn a SAG Award for Best Ensemble. Next, she received the call that can catapult the trajectory of a career. It was from director Mr. Denzel Washington. He handpicked her to play Raynell in the film Fences. Saniyya instantly bonded with Viola Davis, who won an Oscar for her role. In 2017, both films were up for an Academy Award for Best Picture. At 10 years old, Saniyya received her first invitation to the Oscars.
In her first comedy, she also began with best. She plays Kevin Hart’s daughter in the film Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History.
Her dream to play a character with superpowers came true with her role of Lila in the feature Fast Color, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Lorraine Toussaint.
Her first lead was of Amy Bellafonte in the series The Passage, based on the best-selling trilogy. Saniyya was the first African American child to carry a lead in a network show.
Her greatest challenge was playing tennis legend Venus Williams in King Richard. Being a left hander and never playing tennis, she underwent extensive training to learn to play the arc of the character from ages 9-14. She was nominated and won several awards for her role, including a Critics Choice Award nomination and the Virtuoso Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. The film won Best Ensemble at the Palm Springs Film Festival, was named AFI Movie of the Year, was nominated for several SAG Awards, won Best Picture at the Golden Globes, and was nominated for six Academy Awards.
This was her second time to the Oscars by age 16.
Reuniting with Viola Davis, Saniyya then played Sasha Obama with Ms. Davis playing Michelle Obama in Showtime’s The First Lady.
She will next be seen in the highly anticipated Paramount film Children of Blood and Bone, based on one of Saniyya’s favorite books and directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood. The cast is stellar. It includes Viola Davis, Regina King, and Cynthia Erivo, and is being filmed on location in South Africa.
Her motto: “Keep your focus on your goal, not the obstacle.”