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Entertainment September 16, 2016
When you think of iconic character castings, what comes to mind? Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in “The Godfather”? Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy in “30 Rock”? Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” or as Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind”? These actors and actresses owned their roles, and all who try to follow in their path just can’t amaze their audiences with the same performance and skill of their predecessors.
It’s hard to imagine actors of this age holding the same prestige of the greats before them, but some have risen to the occasion, especially one inspirational woman: Uzo Aduba. Hailed for her portrayal of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the Netflix original series “Orange Is the New Black,” the female actress has set the standard high for anyone who has plans to follow up her role in the future. Aduba has made Crazy Eyes her own.
When you remember moments like Suzanne “throwing her pie” to make Piper her wife or saying the golden line, “I’m not crazy, I’m unique,” it’s impossible to imagine Aduba playing any other character on the show. However, at one time, it was a possibility.
What’s so interesting about Aduba’s role as Crazy Eyes is that she didn’t even audition for the role. That’s right. When Aduba attended the tryouts for “Orange Is the New Black,” she wasn’t trying to snag Suzanne’s character. She actually tried out for Janae Watson, the young, vocal track star now played by Vicky Jeudy.
After the audition, her representative called her proclaiming that they had some good news about the show. Expecting to receive the part of Janae, Aduba was confused when her agent told her that she didn’t snag the role. Later, she joked, “Are we now calling people for the roles we didn’t get?” but she then asked what the good news was.
Turns out that, although they didn’t think Aduba was right for the character of Janae, they thought she would be perfect for the role of Suzanne. (And, considering that one of the Suzanne’s most memorable lines – a certain interracial romance metaphor featuring a “chocolate and vanilla swirl” – was improvised, the producers were probably right!) Thrilled to still have the opportunity to be a part of the show, Aduba agreed to play the intense, demanding character. That’s when her life changed forever.
You’ve seen Aduba in the role: one minute she’s rattling off a love poem to Piper, the next she’s throwing a child-like tantrum with the destructiveness of an adult. For three seasons, you watched Suzanne with a mixture of fear, amusement and empathy – and, when you finally learn about her past in the fourth season, you feel as bad for Suzanne as you feel happy to finally understand, if only a little. With Suzanne’s plot line and Aduba’s skills, it didn’t take long for critics to praise Aduba for her character portrayal of Suzanne. Her superb acting has earned her two Emmys and four SAG Awards.
Uzo Aduba is Suzanne Warren. Although you can separate the sweet, talented actress from the confused, well-intentioned character, Aduba is without a doubt one of the most perfect castings for a role that we will ever see.
Aduba will continue to appear in “Orange Is the New Black” as it enters its fifth season next year. The inspirational woman’s casting story can teach you plenty, but one lesson stands out: when one door closes, another one opens.
