We have so many reasons to love “Orange is the New Black” star Uzo Aduba. Having Adubo on the cover of Essence Magazine’s September issue adds another
Beyond looking absolutely radiant in red—it’s definitely her color—the two-time Emmy award-winning Nigerian American actress shares how she struggled to blend her Nigerian roots with her Boston upbringing (she once asked her mother if she could change her name to Zoe). Aduba admits that it wasn’t until she discovered acting that she learned to full embrace herself, quirks and all.
We also learn that the 35-year-old actress is a self-proclaimed fitness buff and adrenaline junkie. What makes her the perfect BFF in our heads is that she promotes self-love and positivity.
“This business will try to convince you that you’re not enough,” Abduba tells Essence. “That you’re not pretty enough, thin enough, talented enough, interesting enough, experienced enough, and I say, ‘Enough. Enough with that!’”
We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Aduba as she posted this Instagram video several hours ago, but our inkling is the big surprise she had in store was her September Essence cover story.
Uzoamaka Nwanneka “Uzo” Aduba, born February 10, 1981 is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black (2013–present), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.
She is the only actress to win Emmy Award recognition in both the comedy and drama genres for the same role
Aduba was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Nigerian parents of Igbo origin from Achi in Enugu State.
She grew up in Medfield, Massachusetts. She graduated from Medfield High School in 1999. She attended Boston University, where she studied classical voice and competed in track and field. She describes her family as a “sports family”. Her younger brother, Obi, played hockey at the University of Massachusetts and went on to play six seasons professionally.