Jayme Lawson
Jayme Lawson (born September 19, 1997) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Mayor Bella Reál in The Batman (2022) and Pearline in Sinners (2025).
Article
Jayme Lawson
Jayme Lawson (born September 19, 1997) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Mayor Bella Reál in The Batman (2022) and Pearline in Sinners (2025).
Early life
Jayme Lawson
Lawson grew up in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area as the youngest of six siblings. She attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts and spent summers attending theatre camp. Upon graduation, Lawson moved to New York City to attend Juilliard School. Lawson has cited her love of poetry and literature of the Harlem Renaissance as an early influence, as well as the talent of actresses Phylicia Rashad and Lucille Ball.
Career
Jayme Lawson
After graduating Juilliard in May 2019, Lawson appeared in the off-Broadway play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, a revival of the 1976 hit play by Ntozake Shange. Lawson's performance was considered a stand out. Lawson's film debut was in the 2020 film Farewell Amor as Sylvia. In 2019, she gained attention when she was cast in the film The Batman (2022) as Bella Reál, a mayoral candidate for Gotham City. She would reprise her The Batman role in the 2024 HBO television series The Penguin.
In January 2021, she was cast as a young Michelle Obama in the television series The First Lady (2022). In 2022, she appeared in the drama films Till, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, and The Woman King as Myrlie Evers, Alisha, and Shante, respectively.
In 2025, Lawson co-starred in Ryan Coogler's supernatural period horror film Sinners. The film was released to widespread acclaim and gave Lawson a Gotham Independent Film Awards Ensemble Tribute Award. She also appears as Sheila in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, an adaptation of the 1982 novel by Stephen King.
Filmography
Film
<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2020</td><td>Farewell Amor</td><td>Sylvia</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>The Batman</td><td>Bella Reál</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>How to Blow Up a Pipeline</td><td>Alisha</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Woman King</td><td>Shante</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Till</td><td>Myrlie Evers</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>Indigo Blue</td><td>Lorraine</td><td>Short film</td></tr><tr><td>Sinners</td><td>Pearline</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Running Man</td><td>Sheila Richards</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
Television
<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2022</td><td>The First Lady</td><td>Young Michelle Obama</td><td>7 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>Genius</td><td>Betty Shabazz</td><td>8 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>The Penguin</td><td>Bella Reál</td><td>2 episodes</td></tr></tbody></table>
Stage credits
Jayme Lawson
<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Venue</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2019</td><td>For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf</td><td>Lady in Green</td><td>The Public Theater</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
Awards and nominations
Jayme Lawson
<table><thead><tr><th>Award</th><th>Year</th><th>Category</th><th>Nominated work</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Actor Awards</td><td>2026</td><td>Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture</td><td>Sinners</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>