Wanda Sykes is no stranger to Hollywood. She’s most known for her stand-up prowess, comedic roles in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” her Emmy-winning performance in the ABC sitcom “Black-ish,” and several silver screen roles since her career took off in the 90s.
In her new film “Undercard,” Sykes stars in her first dramatic role as Cheryl “No Mercy” Steward — a legendary boxer, recovering alcoholic, and mother making amends with her estranged son. The film screens Monday at Hi-Pointe Theatre as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival.
Sykes told St. Louis on the Air that she needed some convincing to accept the role.
“[Director/writer] Tamika Miller was so passionate about this [film] and about me playing it. When I read it I was like, ‘She wants me to do this? Oh boy, Niecy Nash must’ve said no,’” Sykes recounted. “I just thought about all these amazing actors who could play this part. But Tamika sat me down and was like, ‘I’m sure you had to overcome a lot of things in your career. Just relate that to what you know. You know her story.’”
Sykes, a mother to two twin teenagers, said the hardest part of her role was portraying a fractured relationship between a parent struggling with addiction and their child.
“I consider myself a pretty nurturing mom, so to get to that place of guilt and also trying to have some type of reign over this kid that [Cheryl] gave up,” Sykes said, “I had to really think about how I was going to get to those emotional places.”
Sykes is in St. Louis for a Q&A after the “Undercard” festival screening and will be honored with this year’s Trailblazer Achievement Award — which recognizes her attainments and activism throughout her career. She said one of the most important topics at hand today is the condition of the United States government. Traveling to St. Louis, Sykes found herself in the midst of frustrations she sees across the nation.
“I was on a flight to get here and we were sitting on the tarmac for an hour. A person got up to go to the bathroom [as] the engines revved and [the pilot] shut down because he couldn’t take off, so we lost our spot. So I get up, go to the bathroom, I come out of the bathroom and a couple people go, ‘Boo!’” Sykes said. “I was like, ‘Hey, don’t boo me. Boo the other person.’ Then I sat down and I immediately felt awful. I was like, ‘Why did I say that? I threw this other person under the bus.’”
But the comedian said she found a lesson in that experience, the slices of real life that inspires her standup comedy and storytelling. “We shouldn’t be booing each other. We should be booing our government. This is why everything is getting canceled, and that’s what I talk about on stage — not all of it — but that’s what I talk about.”
For more with Wanda Sykes, including her experience filming “Undercard” in Puerto Rico, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: “Undercard” screening and Q&A with Wanda Sykes and director Tamika Miller
When: 7:30 pm Nov 10, 2025
Where: Hi-Pointe Theatre (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63117)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
