Fri, October 16, 2026 at 2:44 PM UTC
NEED TO KNOW
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Thuso Mbedu suffered multiple injuries while working on Children of Blood and Bone
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While doing stunt work, she popped a rib and strained her hip flexor
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“I didn’t realize it when it happened. I was doing a throw and I thought I pulled a muscle,” she said of her rib injury
Thuso Mbedu suffered a serious injury while working on her latest movie.
The actress, 35, revealed that she “popped a rib” while doing stunts for Children of Blood and Bone during a New York Comic Con panel on Oct. 10 at the Javits Center in New York City.
Mbedu explained that the cast underwent rigorous training for the movie.
“We had five days a week training where it was like 90 minutes of conditioning. Then we’d have to drive up to 8711 and have three hours of stunts, which I always, always enjoy,” she said.
However, Mbedu noted that her training for the movie also felt “hectic” because she experienced multiple injuries.
“So the moment came, I popped my rib. At some point this time, I strained my hip flexor. So there’s always something, patching scars,” she said.
The actress elaborated on her rib injury, saying, “I didn’t realize it happened when it happened. I was doing a throw and I thought I pulled a muscle, and when I was home trying to sleep, I couldn’t breathe and laughing was a pain.”
The actress added, “It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, am I dying?’ Then we had an assessment and it was just a popped rib. They were like, ‘It’ll pop itself back. Just suck it up.’ ”
While a popped rib isn’t usually life-threatening, it can be very painful. The injury occurs when one of the lower ribs becomes dislocated due to cartilage loosening or breaking
Treatment can involve anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, nerve injections, osteopathic manipulation, surgery and rest.
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Mbedu said training for the movie was different from when she worked on The Woman King because she was using an unfamiliar weapon.
“This was a completely new weapon for me,” she said. “On The Woman King, I had a machete and then for this one I had to learn the bo staff.”
The actress added, “Fortunately for me, I had a lot more time to start learning before the others came through. I was running drills with the bo staff no matter where I was in the world. I literally carried a portable staff that couldn’t make it past the TSA, because apparently it’s a weapon and depending on what you bring, you really get into trouble.”
The upcoming movie, written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, follows a young woman on a quest to restore magic to the people of Orïsha and fight back against a brutal king. The cast also includes Amandla Stenberg,Damson Idris, Tosin Cole,Cynthia Erivo,Lashana Lynch andViola Davis.
Prince-Bythewood was also at the panel and praised the movie’s
“Everything that was in those pages that Tomi wrote is everything that makes a great film,” she said of the bestselling author. “You get the gods and creatures, and magic and battles, and kingdoms and heroes. It was such an extraordinary story of characters. I just got excited about trying to bring that to light.”
Adeyemi has distanced herself from the upcoming release, claiming in July that she left the movie set “hyperventilating and sobbing.”
Children of Blood and Bone is set to hit theaters on Jan. 15, 2027.
