Early career and stage work Deadwyler began her career appearing on stage productions, including ''
Charlotte's Web, The Real Tweenagers of Atlanta
, and most notable playing the role of Lady in Yellow in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf'' at the True Colors Theater in Atlanta in 2009. Deadwyler received positive reviews for leading performance in
Alliance Theatre's
The C.A. Lyons Project. On Atlanta stage, she appeared in the
Pulitzer Prize-winning play
Clybourne Park at Aurora Theater, portrayed an actress injured doing Shakespeare in
Smart People at True Colors Theater, and played multiple roles in
The Temple Bombing at the Alliance Theater.
2012–2020: Film debut and television roles Deadwyler made her film debut playing the leading role of a homeless, alcoholic mother in the 2012 drama
A Cross to Bear directed by Tandria Potts. Deadwyler later acted in a number of short films, then landed roles on television. In 2015, Deadwyler guest-starred in the second season of
BET's drama series
Being Mary Jane. Later that year, she joined the cast of
Tyler Perry's series
The Haves and the Have Nots, playing antagonist LaQuita "Quita" Maxwell. She played a leading role and produced the 2019 thriller film
The Devil To Pay. The film and Deadwyler's performance received positive reviews from critics. Cath Clarke from
The Guardian wrote in her review: "Deadwyler's soulful performance really grounds
The Devil to Pay even as it cranks into revenge-movie mode." The series was not renewed for a second season. That same year, Deadwyler guest-starred on
FBI: Most Wanted and had a recurring role as Yoli in the series
P-Valley.
2021–2022: Breakthrough with The Harder They Fall and Till In 2021, Deadwyler played the role of Cuffee in the Netflix western film
The Harder They Fall. The character was inspired by
Cathay Williams. The film and her performance received positive reviews from film critics. Deadwyler received an
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture nomination for her performance and well as number of Best Ensemble awards. Later that year, Deadwyler played Miranda Carroll in the miniseries
Station Eleven. Also that year, she was in the Netflix miniseries
From Scratch, based on
Tembi Locke's memoir. Deadwyler played the role of lead character' older sister, receiving positive reviews. In 2022, Deadwyler starred as
Mamie Till in the biographical film
Till directed by
Chinonye Chukwu. She received positive reviews from critics for her lead performance in the movie. Manohla Dargis in
The New York Times: "With fixed intensity and supple quicksilver emotional changes, Deadwyler rises to the occasion as Mamie, delivering a quiet, centralizing performance that works contrapuntally with the story's heaviness, its profundity and violence." Deadwyler received the
National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance (shared with
Gabriel LaBelle for
The Fabelmans) and the
Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance for her performance.
2023–present: Continued success In 2024, Deadwyler played the leading role in the science fiction thriller film
Parallel directed by
Kourosh Ahari, a remake of Lei Zheng's feature of the same name. She starred in the horror-thriller film
I Saw the TV Glow, which premiered at the 2024
Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews from critics. Deadwyler also starred in
The Piano Lesson, an adaptation of the
August Wilson play, and in the Canadian post-apocalyptic thriller film
40 Acres. For
The Piano Lesson, Deadwyler earned her second
Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination in the
Supporting Actress category, her first having been in
Leading Actress for her role in
Till. Her guest appearance as Syd's cousin Chantel on
The Bear episode "
Worms" was positively received, with
Rolling Stone critic
Alan Sepinwall describing Deadwyler, "one of most chameleonic actors we have," as having disappeared into the "relaxed, confident, funny role." Deadwyler appeared in the action thriller
Carry-On for Netflix. She also starred in the horror film
The Woman in the Yard. Both films were directed by
Jaume Collet-Serra.
Time magazine named Deadwyler one of the
100 most influential people in the world in 2025.
Upcoming projects Deadwyler is slated to executive produce and star in the upcoming comedic thriller
The Saviors. She will also portray Zelma Redding, widow of American singer
Otis Redding, in the biographical drama
Otis & Zelma. In February 2025, Deadwyler joined the
HBO comedy series
Rooster opposite
Steve Carell, taking on the role of a poetry professor and published author. That spring, she was announced as the lead in the film adaptation of
The Street, based on the 1946 novel by
Ann Petry. In October 2025, a first-look photo accompanied news of Deadwyler's addition to the Season 3 cast of
Euphoria. The following month, she was reported to have joined the ensemble of
India Donaldson's drama
The Chaperones. In February 2026, Deadwyler was cast in a reboot of
The X-Files series to be produced by
Ryan Coogler. == Personal life ==