Uzo Aduba Shares Frank Opinion on Breaking Away From Her ‘Crazy Eyes’ Identity (Exclusive)
It's been about five years since Orange Is the New Black went off the air, but Uzo Aduba is still feeling the effects of the life-changing role for which she won two Emmys.
The actress sat down with Parade recently, where she basked in her love of the city of Boston, chatted about the heart of her latest film, Hulu's The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat, and reflected on the aftermath of her explosive rise to fame as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in one of Netflix's first big original successes—a topic she details in The Road Is Good: How a Mother's Strength Became a Daughter's Purpose, her new memoir out Sept. 24, 2024.
Within the pages of the novel, she recounts her mindset as they began wrapping the final season of the hit series, with her looking ahead to future projects with her new manager, Eric Kranzler.
Much as she loved the series and her part in it—a fact she emphasizes several times—Aduba wrote about not wanting to be "pigeonholed" by the role, clarifying, "I wanted to play other notes on the keyboard and explore other stories and ways of storytelling."
So, when Kranzler asked, “What are you looking for?” she said, “I don’t want to stay Crazy Eyes forever.”
Over five years later, with people still approaching her with that moniker, her mindset has shifted a bit.
There are new roles in the mix these days, leading to a variety of conversations when fans call out to the three-time Emmy Award winner, but when someone comes out with the name "Crazy Eyes," there's no "resistance" on her part.
"...my feeling is the same as it was before [wrapping the series]. I appreciate it, you know, the show changed my life—full stop," she explains. And while she was "excited to be doing something that changed [her] life," it was even better that it "had something to say [while being] entertaining at the same time."
She continues, "And so, I really appreciate and love when people have something to say about the show [and] about Suzanne; Crazy Eyes."
Aduba is also "fascinated" by the influx of new fans "discovering the show," breathing new life into the fandom. Rather than looking back on that goal she set for herself while wrapping Orange in terms of failure or success, she's looking at its evolution, instead.
"Maybe the goal has changed, and perhaps the embrace has changed slightly," she ponders. "But I don't think I am known as [Crazy Eyes] alone. I know that I am not, in fact."
Most recently, she'll be recognized as Clarice in Hulu's new original flick The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat, a dramedy following three best friends through the ups and downs of life from high school to marriage, kids, and death. The film puts the power of the "bonds of female friendships" on full display, which Aduba calls the "best, greatest community."
Next: Uzo Aduba on Netflix Series 'Painkiller' and Finding Her Place in Hollywood