Ajani Russell

Russell's screen career starts, on record, with the 2016 short film *That One Day* (TMDB) — a small credit, but it predates the role that would actually define her early career. That role came in 2018 with *Skate Kitchen*, director Crystal Moselle's Sundance film built around a real New York City all-female skate crew. Russell played Indigo. The film didn't just launch her — it established a whole creative universe she'd return to. HBO's *Betty* (2020–2021) was that return. A series spun directly out of *Skate Kitchen*'s DNA, *Betty* followed the same crew through the New York skate scene, and Russell reprised Indigo across both seasons. The show gave her the kind of sustained, episodic screen time that a single film can't — you actually get to watch a character breathe over time, which is different from a two-hour snapshot. We're talking about a performer who was, by her own account, a skateboarder first, and the authenticity of that background shows in how she carries those scenes. Since *Betty*, Russell has kept working across formats. *Fracture* (2021) added a series credit to her résumé, and *Johnny & Clyde* (2023) gave her the title role of Clyde — a meaningful step up in billing (TMDB). She's also attached to the 2026 film *Hallowarrior*, where she'll play a character named Wendy. Outside of acting, her 2019 co-founding of Pinkyring and her modeling work for major fashion houses (Versace, Acne, GAP) round out a career that's been building steadily since that first Sundance premiere.