Uzo Aduba, born on February 10, 1981, in Boston, Massachusetts, is an acclaimed American actress of Nigerian descent. She studied classical voice at Boston University before transitioning to acting, making her Broadway debut in 2007. Aduba gained widespread recognition for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, earning two Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance. Her portrayal was praised for its depth and emotional complexity. Beyond this role, she starred in the film Miss Virginia (2019) and the series Mrs. America (2020), where she portrayed Shirley Chisholm, earning another Emmy. Aduba is also an advocate for mental health, racial justice, and women’s rights, using her platform to promote important social issues.
1. “If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Uzoamaka.”
— Uzo Aduba
2. “I’m realizing, you don’t need to change anything about yourself. This is who you are, and it’s okay. That’s daring.”
— Uzo Aduba
3. “Ive heard of nothing coming from nothing, but Ive never heard of absolutely nothing coming from hard work.”
— Uzo Aduba
4. “I think there’s something really thrilling to having to get people laughing about something and then when you have them in that comfort space, you can drop the weight into the texture of the story.”
— Uzo Aduba
5. “Faith is a big thing we explore.”
— Uzo Aduba
6. “It’s exciting to watch people do and write and say what they feel like doing, writing and saying.”
— Uzo Aduba
7. “My only want and wish, really, was to tell a good story. I wanted to do good work, tell a good story, and give the character a voice. Those were my only expectations.”
— Uzo Aduba
8. “My mother is a fighter. After she battled polio and learned to walk again, the doctors told her she would be a cripple her entire life. Instead of accepting defeat, she refused this fate and went on to become the West African Womens Singles tennis champion in college.”
— Uzo Aduba
9. “I kept hiding my smile in pictures throughout middle school and most of high school until picture day came my senior year.”
— Uzo Aduba
10. “I love De la Renta. I love CoSTUME National; I think they’re just incredible. And I love Marc Jacobs, too – they’re also great, just a great brand.”
— Uzo Aduba
11. In performance, you dont always feel that sort of family bond right off the top. It sort of develops and grows over time.”
— Uzo Aduba
12. I ran track in high school very competitively, and then ran it D-1 at Boston University. I ran there on an athletic scholarship and chose BU because they had both a good track program and an arts program.”
— Uzo Aduba
13. I loved Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi. Its about a first-generation African family living in America that has to return home to Nigeria when their estranged father passes away.”
— Uzo Aduba
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