Yet that scene is a miracle precisely for what Jean-Baptiste does with it. The role couldn’t be more different from the actress’s Oscar-nominated turn in Leigh’s “Secrets & Lies” (1996), as a graceful and assured Black woman confronting her flummoxed White birth mother (Brenda Blethyn).

Baptiste, known for roles in "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Without a Trace," is receiving serious Oscar buzz for her performance in "Hard Truths." Reuniting with director Mike Leigh, Jean-Baptiste portrays Pansy Deacon,

The human psyche can contain irrational anger, leading to outbursts at strangers for minor offenses. Triggers for this rage can range from someone taking a parking spot before we’re ready

To say that the British actor and director Mike Leigh have given us their best collaboration to date is too mild a sentiment. They've gifted us with a masterpiece of bruised humanity

Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays a very angry British woman named Pansy in Mike Leigh's “Hard Truths.” She walks through life like a tornado of discontent, lashing out at anyone who dares cross her path,

She reteams with her "Secret and Lies" director, Mike Leigh, for this brutally funny drama about a British woman consumed with anger.

It is almost 30 years since Jean-Baptiste and Leigh collaborated on a film—the cult 1996 comedy drama Secrets & Lies, which would see her become the first Black British actress nominated for an Oscar.