BWW Profile: Emmy-Nominated Star of Stage and Screen Uzo Aduba

By: Sep. 15, 2015
Emmy Coverage 2015
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If you took a poll just a year or two ago asking people if they knew who Uzo Aduba was, I'm fairly certain that only a select group of Godspell-loving Broadway buffs would be able to answer that question with a confident "yes." If you were to take that same poll today, however, the answer would likely be quite different, thanks to a little show called ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. Oh, how quickly things change in Hollywood!

For those of you who are still living in the dark, Uzo Aduba plays the ever-awesome Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on Netflix's award-winning comedy ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, which also stars Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, and Laverne Cox. Before we go any further, if you haven't seen ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, stop reading this, binge it, and then come back. I'll wait.

That's better. Now that we're on the same page, we can get back to Uzo Aduba. This year's nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama series isn't the first nod for the Massachusetts native. Earlier this year, Aduba took home two Golden Globes: one for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, and the other for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Last year, she won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, won a Critics' Choice TV Award for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series, and nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series. Thanks, Netflix!

Clearly, Aduba - and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK in general - is no stranger to critical acclaim. There's something about a groundbreaking comedy/drama set in a women's prison that sucks you in from the very beginning and spits you out at the end of each episode desperately wanting to watch more. But what is it specifcally about Crazy Eyes that has everyone going...well, crazy? I'm chalking it up to brilliant writing and an even more brilliant performance. Crazy Eyes is one of those roles that could easily be overshadowed by other, more featured performances, or even worse: it could be overacted. Aduba, however, somehow manages to find that sweet spot right in between mundane and manic, leaving viewers captivated by such a lovably eccentric inmate.

Aduba herself is equally loveable. She's the personification of the classic Hollywood success story, and she deserves every bit of it. She'd been acting in theater and on Broadway for some time before auditioning for the then unheard of Netflix original series, but had yet to hit it big. The audition for ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK was to be her last before moving on to other ventures, and thankfully - for her and for us - the casting directors saw something special in her and promptly cast her as Crazy Eyes, even though that wasn't the role for which she initially auditioned. Sometimes, things have a weird way of working out.

But back to the Broadway stint for a moment, because it was an important one. In 2011, Aduba joined WEEDS star and Broadway vet Hunter Parrish in Circle in the Square Theatre's revival of the hit musical Godspell. The show was widely regarded as a success among critics and fans, and Aduba's performance was met with nothing but rave reviews. Her powerful voice and stage experience helped land her the role of Glinda the Good Witch in the upcoming televised produciton of The Wiz, set to air on NBC on December 3, 2015. Aduba is one of a cast of many powerhouses, including Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Amber Riley, Common, and newcomer Shanice Williams, that are currently slated to star in the musical. Not bad company, if you ask me!

If you take anything away from watching Aduba in ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK or from reading about her rise to fame, it's this: keep trying, and give it one more shot before you move on to something different. Aduba certainly did, and her hard work and perseverence has paid off incredibly well. If - or rather, when (I'm hopeful!) - she takes home the Emmy on Sunday, it'll be her fifth win for her portrayal of Crazy Eyes. She's only at the beginning of her career, and I personally can't wait to see what she does next.

Will you be cheering on Uzo Aduba during Sunday's Emmy telecast? Stick with BWW TV all week for in-depth Emmy coverage, features, predictions, and results. Let me know your thoughts on Uzo Aduba's nomination and the Emmys in general in the comments below, or on Twitter @CourtHenley and #BWWEmmys.

The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards telecast will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, September 20th (8 PM ET/5 PM PT) on FOX from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Make BroadwayWorld your home for live coverage at BWW TV and on Twitter @BWWTVWorld.



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