Clarke was born and raised in
Essex County, New Jersey, to Caribbean parents; her mother is from
Trinidad and her father was from
Guyana. She has one older brother. Clarke attended
Newark Arts High School, graduating in 2011. She also spent part of her childhood in Tennessee. Clarke made the decision to leave the United States to pursue acting because she felt her race and class put her at a disadvantage. Clarke moved to
Glasgow to attend the
Royal Conservatoire and graduated in 2014. ==Career==