The Transformation Of Jurnee Smollett From 4 To 35 Years Old

In 2016, a couple of years after "True Blood" ended, and the same year she gave birth to son Hunter, Jurnee Smollett starred in the riveting WGN America series "Underground." Yep, your timeline math is correct; as Smollett recalled to Vulture, she filmed the intense series while pregnant.

Smollett once again did her own stunts, allowing some of her previous acting experiences to enhance her performance. "I wasn't going to let the boys do stuff that I wasn't doing. Hell, no! We have a lot of scenes where we're running, and the camera would be strapped onto a gator, which is like a more rugged version of a golf cart, and you would have to just chase it. When you do that take after take after take, in a corset and a dress that's, like, five layers ... it really humbled me," she told Cosmopolitan.

The show lasted just two seasons, but gained Smollett a lot of attention. For her portrayal of a sheltered house slave in the series about slaves attempting to escape on the Underground Railroad, she was nominated for two NAACP Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series awards. "It's so exciting to be a part of something that gives a voice to the voiceless like this. It puts a face to the thousands of people that had the courage to run," Smollett said in Cosmo of the importance of a show like "Underground."

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