10 Things You Should Know About ADEPERO ODUYE

American born actress, writer and director, Adepero Oduye. Was born in Brooklyn, New York to Nigerian parents, hit the limelight in 2011 after she starred in the award-winning independent film, Pariah.

The movie saw her snagging several awards as well as a nomination for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Here are 10 things you should know about ADEPERO ODUYE.

1. Adepero was born in Brooklyn, New York to Nigerian parents into a family of seven.

2. Adepero graduated pre-med from Cornell University. She then went on to pursue her passion for acting.

I was in college and pre-med on track to be a doctor and I realized I didn’t want to do that anymore. I thought about what I wanted to do and I took an acting class my senior year and loved it. It was the kind of thing where it was challenging but I still wanted to do more. I graduated and was like I’m going to be an actor. My mother did not understand. It was as if I was an entirely different person.

I didn’t know anyone who was an actor so I just started looking at Backstage. My first audition was an open call and I had no picture and no resume — that’s how clueless I was. I just thought I could show up. Slowly but surely I gathered information and just learned and did a lot of things to get experience.

3. She hit the limelight in 2011 after she starred in the award-winning independent film, Pariah. The movie helped her earn several awards and a nomination for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards.

4. In 2012, she joined an all-star cast in the Steel Magnolias television remake as Annelle Dupuy-Desoto.

5. The talented actress made her Broadway debut opposite Cicely Tyson in Horton Foote’s, The Trip To Bountiful.

6. She was featured in the 2012 Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue Cover and in The New York Times as one of 2012 Great Performances.

7. Adepero added director to her resume when she directed the short film ” Breaking In”, a film about a young black man’s first time being stopped and frisked by the NYPD. The movie is based on her brother’s early experience.

8. She has the following sci-fi action film to her credit Geostorm and the American drama thriller, The Dinner, starring Richard Gere.

9. She has worked with top Hollywood acts such as Gabrielle Union, Steve Carell, Cicely Tyson and Chiwetel Ejiofor to mention a few.

10. In 2015, she acted alongside Steve Carell in Adam McKay’s comedy-drama titled “The Big Short”, which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.