Uzo Aduba hails from Medfield, Massachusetts, and attended Boston University with a track scholarship, where she now stars on Orange Is the New Black as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren.
Her acting career began on stage, and she made her Broadway debut in Coram Boy in 2007. Additionally, she performed in an original revival of Godspell at Manhattan's Circle in the Square Theatre.
Emmy Award-Winning Performances
Uzo Aduba of Medfield, Massachusetts has earned much praise for her performances over time. She won an Emmy award and several other acting prizes; appearing on popular TV series like Blue Bloods and Saturday Night Live as well as receiving nominations for both Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards.
While she grew up playing sports, acting was not something she explored until her college years. While attending Boston University on a track scholarship and majoring in classical voice, she realized she had an interest in acting. After taking acting classes during her time at university and performing on stage throughout Boston - such as Coram Boy and Godspell on Broadway as well as Olney Theatre Center for the Arts performances - she began pursuing acting professionally.
After graduating from university, Uzo moved to New York City to further her acting career. While she secured roles both on stage and screen, her first Emmy award came through her appearance in Orange Is the New Black as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren; for which she received two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Satellite award, and a Critics' Choice TV awards among many nominations and awards.
Uzo has also been nominated for a Golden Globe award and won an NAACP Image Award, appearing in several short films before landing her breakout role as Brooke Taylor as a therapist on HBO's In Treatment series. Additionally, she will appear as part of Really Love romantic drama film and also an upcoming Netflix series as a TSA agent.
Uzo has not only appeared in television series such as Black-ish but has also made notable film and TV appearances including Miss Virginia, Beats (Netflix), Candy Jar and American Pastoral with Ewan McGregor and Dakota Fanning, My Little Pony alongside Jennifer Connelly as well as playing politician Shirley Chisholm from Mrs. America on Hulu alongside Cate Blanchett and Sarah Paulson - earning her three consecutive Primetime Emmy awards this year after Regina King and Viola Davis won their honorary statuettes this year for this role!
Orange Is the New Black
Uzo Aduba, best known for her portrayal of Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on Orange Is the New Black, has made waves both professionally and personally. Not only has the Massachusetts native been awarded two Emmy awards - in both drama and comedy categories for her role - she is also a prolific marathon runner.
Uzo Aduba ran her inaugural marathon in 2013 for a cause close to her heart - supporting cancer patients and their families. Since then, she's trained hard for the Boston Marathon this weekend - not just physically but mentally too - telling Self that running is "an immense mental and physical challenge that challenges both body and mind". "There may be voices inside your head telling you it's time to stop running; you must overcome them."
Aduba is no stranger to long-distance running; she earned numerous track medals as a sprinter at both Medfield High School and Boston University where she studied voice before choosing acting over track running. But in 2013 Aduba wanted a greater challenge, leading her to sign up for the New York City Marathon as part of a personal challenge.
Even after not running for over a decade, she completed 26.2 miles enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment, and wanted to do it all over again.
Soon thereafter, her big break came when she was cast on Orange Is the New Black by Jenji Kohan and based on Piper Kerman's memoir - an award-winning Netflix show that revolutionized so much more than just female sexuality; with its in-depth examination of prison culture as well as its bold depiction of female sexuality and liberalism than anything before it.
Laverne Cox made waves in 2014 by casting herself as an openly transgender character on this groundbreaking show, breaking new ground by becoming the first openly transgender person ever to win an Emmy for an acting performance, appearing on covers such as TIME and Cosmopolitan magazines and becoming an immediate star.
Aduba signed on as Brooke, a character with bipolar disorder in the third season of OITNB shortly after winning an Emmy award, as an opportunity to explore this complex mental condition while also showcasing her incredible versatility as an actress able to move effortlessly between Shakespearean tragedies and comedies.
In Treatment
Uzo Aduba has long exhibited her gift for portraying complex female roles on screen - whether she's portraying passionate, off-kilter prisoner Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on Orange Is the New Black (OITNB) or conflicted counselor Brooke Taylor from HBO's reboot of In Treatment (ITT), for instance. This Boston-born actress won two Emmys for OITNB while recently picking up another for her work on Hulu series Mrs. America as politician Shirley Chisholm; she also appeared as Glinda in an NBC live production of The Wiz.
Aduba is not only known for her acting career but is also an accomplished jazz singer and Boston Marathon finisher. With a passion for public service, Aduba has worked on numerous initiatives supporting arts education including being the Ambassador for the City of Boston's Arts Education Initiative as well as co-creator of an award-winning short film on women's prison conditions and carrying out advocacy work against sexual assault and domestic violence.
Aduba will play an instrumental role in leading its characters through their emotional journeys in In Treatment's fourth season premiere on Sunday, May 23. She plays Brooke Taylor - taking over for Gabriel Byrne as its central protagonist - who uses her penetrating gaze to guide each of her patients (Anthony Ramos, John Benjamin Hickey, Quintessa Swindell and Liza Colon-Zayas among them) as they face fears, regrets and resentments head-on. Her approach combines empathy, compassion, and insight - with brutal honesty!
Aduba admits to being an admirer of Byrne, yet she says she didn't watch any of the first three seasons when prepping to portray the character herself. After already experiencing mental health struggles herself, Aduba found portraying someone else's pain relatively effortless.
Aduba spoke with us via Zoom about the significance of her role as a Black woman working in an industry predominantly populated by white men, her preparation for her role, as well as how she manages her busy schedule.
Painkiller
Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba earned fame as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on Orange Is the New Black, for which she won two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Primetime Emmy nominations. Since then she has gone on to star in several TV and film projects including musical animated film Pearly Gates in 2017 and the 2020 drama Mrs. America; but Aduba's most anticipated project yet may be Painkiller, an eight-episode limited series exploring America's opioid crisis with Matthew Broderick as its big-pharma executive who pushes OxyContin onto medical professionals while Aduba plays his legal adversary Edie Flowers as her legal adversary Edie Flowers as his legal opponent and Aduba as his legal adversary Edie Flowers; both Matthew Broderick as his boss while Aduba plays her legal adversary Edie Flowers plays oppose him; Painkiller will air only six-episodes for its eight episodes only!
Peter Berg, Aduba's co-director on OITNB's previous season, has created an engrossing story that shows how this crisis affects a wide swath of the country, but Aduba anchors the story with her passionate portrayal as Flowers - it's heartening when Aduba understands this addiction epidemic is no different from crack that devastated inner cities decades earlier and the realization hits home with her character enraging her further.
"Revenge" is also a story about an imperfect system: people can be led to believe one thing and be led into believing another thing through manipulation by companies like Purdue Pharma and their Sackler family, and how long-term problems with the latter persist despite these efforts to bring justice and hold them accountable.
Aduba shines in her role of Edie Flowers, showing herself adept at portraying both a fiery attorney and compassionate advocate, as well as creating the series' end-of-season catharsis with ease despite seeming like it might only bring about further feelings of uncertainty and discomfort.
Post a Comment