CYNTHIA ADDAI-ROBINSON: GROWTH, GRIT & GREAT ROLES

Cynthia Addai-Robinson moves through fantasy and thrillers with quiet force, sharp instincts, and undeniable presence. She doesn’t just take roles—she transforms them, blending elegance, depth, and street-smart intensity. From The Accountant 2 to The Rings of Power, she’s redefining what power looks like on screen. Layered, lived-in, and unapologetically complex. Whether commanding a kingdom or cracking a code, she leads with purpose and precision.

In this exclusive IRK interview, Cynthia Addai-Robinson opens up about her evolving characters. She talks about representation in fantasy, and why the next chapter might be the boldest yet. One role at a time, she’s turning grit and grace into her signature.

IRK: What excited you most about stepping back into the role of Marybeth Medina for The Accountant 2. This time as a lead alongside Ben Affleck?

Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I was really excited about returning to play Marybeth Medina. I got to work with both actors I didn’t in the first film. I was also excited about the change in the tone of the film. You know, the first movie really is about introducing these characters. It is an origin story of this mysterious accountant figure and all of the different characters that converge into the first movie.

The idea with the second movie was figuring out how to bring these characters forward. All while giving the audience a different experience. And so the tone of the second movie is actually a lot funnier which I thought was really intriguing. I think for the character of Marybeth she’s almost like the “straight man” so to speak playing opposite these sort of wacky characters in the form of Christian Wolff and Brax, his brother. It was interesting to realize this is gonna be a different way that these characters interact. They come across differently in situations that are awkward and uncomfortable and therefore humorous. I thought it was gonna be a great opportunity.

IRK: How has Marybeth grown or changed since the first film, and what new layers did you get to explore in this sequel?

Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I think in the same way that Marybeth has grown and changed, I, Cynthia, have grown and changed. So it was inevitable that there was just going to be a different sense of this character. Some of it is just established on the page. Obviously our writer Bill Dubuque who wrote the first movie has to move these characters. The time jump in the film mirrors the amount of time that has passed in real life.

I think with Mary Beth, she’s in an elevated position in her job in her career and that’s really a result of her being passed the baton by JK Simmons character Ray King. She’s, in essence, the new ‘Ray King’ in the sequel. I think in that elevation there’s this sense of being in a position to really serve justice. I think that was always her motivating factor and why she does what she does. And just a maturity, just being in this position. hopefully I have a maturity in my own growth and forward movement, as well.

IRK: You-Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ben Affleck, and Jon Bernthal form a powerful trio in The Accountant 2. What was the energy like working with them on set?

Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Working with Ben and John! I basically just had a front row seat to watching these two actors who I very much admire and who I didn’t get to work with the first time around. I really only saw them a couple of times during the process when we filmed the first movie. It was exciting, once I read the script, and realized we’re gonna be this trio. There’s gonna be a lot of humor to be mined from this sort of awkward configuration.

For these three characters, there’s tension in the fact that they are all operating quite differently from one another. They’re three strong individuals. When you get three very headstrong, determined people trying to resolve something, and going about it in different ways, it creates sparks. Just being admirers and seeing how they work, I basically had the best seat in the house. I got to watch their dynamic, which the audience obviously loves. It was a lot of fun.

IRK: This film promises even more action and suspense. Did you find yourself, Cynthia Addai-Robinson approaching the physicality or mindset of your role differently this time around?

Cynthia: I knew once I read the script that I was gonna have a climactic scene towards the end of the film. A great fight with Daniela Pineda’s character Anais. We knew that we wanted to use all the time to prepare. so we could physically be ready. We started with our stunt department before filming even began. Luckily with Fernando Chen, who worked on the first movie as well. We got to train with the entire stunt team to be physically ready and to start learning this fight.

There was a lot more that was going to be required of me physically. I didn’t do anything remotely close to that in the first movie. I think that helps inform a lot about the character. For Marybeth, she’s somebody who’s working at a desk, she’s delegating responsibility.

In no way is she thinking that with her responsibilities at the treasury department that she’s gonna have to you know be in a fist fight. But she is also somebody who’s very street smart. We established in the first movie that she is somebody that could’ve gone down a very different path. So I think her instincts are definitely street smart, survival mentality. It was great that audiences are going to see an element of that in the movie. Even though, at this stage in her life, she really is a professional. Though she follows the law, the situation forces her to rely on her survival instinct—something she’s carried all her life.

IRK: Switching to The Rings of Power, Queen Regent Míriel is such a richly layered character. How has your connection to her deepened between seasons one and two?

Cynthia: It’s now a role and a project that has been ongoing for five years of my life. It goes without saying so much has happened for everyone in the world. It’s a character that really has resonated with me. It’s great to get a chance over many years to inhabit a character. To really bring a lot of yourself to a role. It can’t help but be deepened. You have all of this time in the mind of a character. I’m really looking forward to returning to Miriel once again. We are soon preparing to do a third season of Rings of Power.

IRK: Your costumes in The Rings of Power are truly pieces of art. How does the wardrobe help you embody the strength and complexity of Míriel?

Cynthia: Costumes are definitely a huge part of Rings of Power. We have so many incredible artisans who really create a large part of the story through their craft. It goes without saying that to embody Miriel, I need the costumes, the hair, and the makeup. All those external elements are a huge part of it. Once you put on those things you hold yourself differently. You move through a space differently. People treat you differently. I feel very fortunate because I essentially get to be the canvas for all of those other collaborators. From wardrobe, to hair, to makeup. One of my favorite parts of the job is that you build a character alongside all of these other people. Miriel truly is a collaborative effort in order to bring her to life.

IRK: With The Accountant 2 on the horizon and The Rings of Power continuing its momentum, what’s next on your dream list—either a role, a story, or a personal goal you’re excited about?

Cynthia: My dream list consists of many things, and in so many ways I have had a dream that I’ve managed to achieve. I’ve managed to see some of those dreams become reality which is incredible. I think the dream moving forward is to develop my own projects. My husband, who is my life partner and my creative partner, we’re very excited about getting a chance to tell the stories that we want to tell.

I like the idea of being able to utilize all the things I’ve learned along the way from so many incredible people that I’ve gotten the chance to work with and start applying it to the things that I wanna make. I like the idea of using other parts of my brain to be a creative, to be a storyteller, and I want to facilitate those stories, as well, so that’s something that I am very much looking forward to doing.

I’m also just excited to be open to whatever the next project is that I can’t anticipate, something that is surprising, something that is unexpected—I love being open to that. Sometimes you have things that you see so specifically for yourself and other times there are those things that you never could’ve imagined, never could’ve predicted, and so I’m excited for that, whatever that is. I feel like it’s around the corner so I’m excited to be pleasantly surprised by the next opportunity.

IRK: What advice do you have for emerging thespians—and also for young women of color stepping into acting?

Cynthia: I think any advice I would have would be mostly about the lifestyle of being an actor, the lifestyle of working in this industry, making sure that you have this well-rounded life and well-rounded experiences outside of the business, outside of acting. I think in order to have the tools and the emotional stuff that you would utilize as an actor, you really have to be present and living life and open to experiences.

I kind of feel like you’re not able to portray other lives and other people without a sense of a variety of experiences. It’s really great to have the discipline of really going offline when you can. We’ve all become really immersed in things that are happening online, social media which presents a very false version of life and I think in order to have the experiences that I’m talking about you really have to just make yourself open to those things and go out into the world.

There’s the sort of virtual world in the perception of life online, and then there’s the real world, real people, real conversations so I’m somebody that’s always trying to do that for myself and very encouraging of putting your phone down and stepping out into the world. Engaging with people and engaging with nature—I personally think that’s gonna be the thing that will help you be an artist and be a creative, so that would be my advice, put down the smartphone and go out into the world.

IRK: At IRK Magazine, we help raise awareness for the 17 Global Goals of the United Nations. Which Goal(s) resonate most with you Cynthia?

Cynthia: All of the global goals of the UN resonate with me but if I had to focus one, I would say that the one that I think actually can help with several of the others is quality education. I think right now in this particular moment in the world you see what happens when people are uninformed or misinformed, and it can lead to a ripple effect in terms of not being able to then navigate a lot of problems.

I think it feels like a cliché but I do genuinely believe that knowledge is power and I think the more you are exposed to intelligent information, various perspectives on things, when you maintain curiosity, when you read literature, when you know your history, you are able to then make informed decisions and you know really have a sense of empathy to be able to tackle the world problems.

Within education, aside from general knowledge, I would add within that arts education because I do feel very strongly that the arts, and an emphasis on arts education, is what teaches us about our own humanity and again creates empathy to be able to feel the plight of others and want to be part of the solution. I very much believe in that and I know it’s a huge undertaking, but I think when we see examples of really giving an opportunity to educate people how it can really change futures and fortunes. It’s an investment that of course is something that pays off dividends.

Come back next week to read the rest of Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s tantalizing interview.

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CREDITS

Crew Credits :

PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Knight/@chrisknightphoto

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Cannon/@thecannonmediagroup at Ray Brown/@raybrownpro

MAKEUP: EDWARD CRUZ/@edwardcruz FOR @tmgla GROUP

HAIR STYLIST: MONAE EVERETT/@monaeartistry FOR EPIPHANY AGENCY INC/@epiphanyagency

Fashion Team:

Winnie Noan/@winnie_noan

Kamryn Brown/@kamrynbrown

Brooklyn Hall/@hauteraf

GROUP @tykorchelli

Special thanks to Steven @showroomseven and Kyla at Jill Fritzo Pr @jillfritzopr