The Emmy winning actress has been cast in Americanah.
Uzo Aduba is set to star opposite Lupita Nyong’o in the series based on the best-selling novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
The series tells the story of Ifemelu (Nyong’o), a self-assured young woman raised in Nigeria, who, as a teenager, falls in love with her classmate Obinze (Zackary Momoh).
“Living in a military-ruled country, they each depart for the west. Ifemelu heads for America, where she finds academic success but is forced to grapple for the first time with what it means to be black,” according to the streamer’s official description. “Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous undocumented life in London. A highly lauded tale that has become a leader in the cultural conversation, Americanah is an incredible exploration of the human experience that crosses three continents to give an empathetic, compelling view of the complex realities of race, politics, immigration, and identity.”
Per Variety, which was first to report the news, the Orange Is the New Black star will play Aunty Uju, Ifemelu’s young aunt and confidant. A highly intelligent doctor, Uju left Nigeria under tumultuous circumstances and has resettled in America to build a better life for herself and her son Dike.
