Authority Magazine Snapshots: With Kyanna Simone Simpsson from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Up and coming actress Kyanna Simone Simpson can next be seen on the highly anticipated CW/DC series “Black Lightning” which premieres on January 16th. She will also be opposite Matthew McConaughey in the upcoming Sony film White Boy Rick. She was most recently seen as the younger version of the lead character played by Oprah Winfrey, “Deborah Lacks,” in the Emmy nominated HBO film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Simpson was born and raised in Decatur, Ga. In 2010, Simpson met Tony Vaughn (Tyler Perry’s “”Meet the Browns””) in a grocery store. She approached him and asked how she could get her start in the business. Since that day Vaughn has been assisting Simpson in her career. A few years later Simpson moved to LA to further pursue her career. She booked her first movie at the age of 16, “”A Christmas Blessing””, playing the role of a gangster named “Raynesha.” Soon after she booked a recurring role on HBO’s “”Show Me a Hero”” playing the daughter of the lead character played by LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Some of her other credits include roles on NBC’s “”Law and Order: SVU””, BET’s “”Being Mary Jane” and several feature films, including The Archer.

When she is not on a film or television set, Simpson spends her time on pursuing her college…