Featuring a strong cast of Hollywood stars including Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard and even Randall Park, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is hardly short of A-list names to fall back on. However, one new name that emerges from the sea of household names is Jani Zhao.
Zhao takes on the role of a leading pirate from Black Manta’s crew named Stingray, aiding the comic book villain to seek revenge against Aquaman. Her role might be understated but Zhao’s compelling performance as a vengeful villain herself is compelling, gripping, and engaging.
Sure, Abdul-Mateen II delivers a stellar performance as Black Manta, conveying hostility, anger, and vindication in immeasurable amounts. But Blank Manta has had two films of character development as an antagonist to the titular superhero. Stingray’s on-screen time was restricted to the latter part of the second film but yet, Zhao convinced us to really despise her character, in the best way possible.
Zhao is a Portuguese actress with Chinese heritage – known as 赵嘉妮 in the mainland. The 31-year-old actress has a filmography comprised of Portuguese and English-speaking films and TV shows including Sentimentos, South, The Sugar Captains, O Mundo Não Acaba Assim, and Os Boys.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom picks up where the 2008 film left off. The film sees Arthur (Momoa) working with his half-brother Orm (Wilson) to prevent Black Manta from killing his family and using the cursed Black Trident to overheat the world while searching for the lost seventh kingdom of the seas.
