Connect with us

News

Orange is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba on Almost Changing her Igbo Name

Avatar photo

Published

 on

Uzo Aduba - May 2014 - BellaNaija.comUzo Aduba is a Nigerian-American actress who plays Suzanne a.k.a Crazy Eyes in the hit series – “Orange is the New Black“.

She was born in Boston and raised in Medfield. After graduating from Medfield High, she studied classical voice at Boston University.

In an interview with Improper Magazine, she says she almost changed her Nigerian name when she was younger.

“When I started as an actor? No, and I’ll tell you why. I had already gone through that. My family is from Nigeria, and my full name is Uzoamaka, which means “The road is good.” Quick lesson: My tribe is Igbo, and you name your kid something that tells your history and hopefully predicts your future. So anyway, in grade school, because my last name started with an A, I was the first in roll call, and nobody ever knew how to pronounce it. So I went home and asked my mother if I could be called Zoe. I remember she was cooking, and in her Nigerian accent she said, “Why?” I said, “Nobody can pronounce it.” Without missing a beat, she said, “If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Uzoamaka.” she says.

Advertisement

Star Features

css.php