From NFL hits to Hollywood power plays

Nnamdi Asomugha’s star is rising with ‘Crown Heights’

Los Angeles Times

Nnamdi Asomugha never thought he’d actually become an actor. Sure, like many young black boys growing up, there were two careers that captured his idea of success: on the field or court as a professional athlete or on stages and screens as a top-billed entertainer.

But he was also the son of Nigerian parents who migrated to the United States in the 1970s. They had two very different career paths in mind: doctor or lawyer. “And actually, those are the only two professions on the planet,” he said with a laugh, repeating his parents’ early admonition.

Now, after a decade of a professional football career before retiring in 2013, Mr. Asomugha is making moves to establish himself as a Hollywood power player in front of and behind the camera. As a star and producer “Crown Heights,” the former player for the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers is following a long line of athletes extending their careers far beyond the 50yard line.

“Thank God I was successful (in football) because now my mom is like, ‘I have faith in you,’” he said, smiling.

“Crown Heights,” which won the audience award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Amazon Studios, chronicles the true story of Colin Warner (“Get Out” and “Atlanta” costar Lakeith Stanfield), who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1980 and sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in jail. His best friend, Carl King, played by Mr. Asomugha, devoted 20 years of his life to proving his innocence. (Warner was exonerated in 2001.)

“This is not the ‘American dream’ they were looking for,” said Mr. Asomugha of the two Trinidadian immigrants who had developed a bond in their Brooklyn neighborhood.

Such a weighty film is a far cry from Mr. Asomugha’s first major Hollywood gig. While he admits acting “was always sort of inside me,” noting that he frequently lobbied to have his family’s single TV in his room as a child, he didn’t seriously consider “thespian” as a career option until around 2008.

While on the set of a Nike commercial, the director invited him to drinks after. Though Mr. Asomugha could not accept the invite because he had a flight to catch, the director left him with a bit of advice: of

“‘I want to tell you that I do this all the time and you are gifted at this,’” Mr. Asomugha recalled the director saying. “‘So whenever you’re done (with football), I think you should pursue this and take lessons.’

“I just thought it was nice of him,” Mr. Asomugha said of the notes. Three months later, he got a call from his agent saying that same commercial director wanted him in his television show.

The director was Peter Berg. The show was “Friday Night Lights.” “I had no clue who Peter Berg was,” he said, “but that was one of the moments that told me this is something I could take seriously at one point in my life.” He ultimately appeared in a guest role on the season four premiere.

Mr. Asomugha’s Hollywood origin story is just one example of what Courtney Brunious, associate director of USC’s Sports Business Institute, describes as “a lot of crossover between sports and entertainment these days.”

Because athletes often network in similar circles as Hollywood, “they’re getting more exposure to the industry” and with “all the opportunities to produce content now versus 15 years ago where there were only so many outlets,” many athletes are taking the opportunity to extend their 15 minutes of fame. “They’re utilizing their celebrity to further their interests beyond just playing sports,” Mr. Brunious said.

Mr. Asomugha is following in the big shoes of Jim Brown, Terry Crews, Michael Strahan, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and LeBron James. He notes that his time as an NFL cornerback has translated well to his Hollywood pursuits.

“I tell people all the time that football taught me about life in every single aspect,” he said. “The leadership qualities that you have to have to be a producer on a film is something I learned being a captain on the team. Then, the amount of preparation it took to be successful at football … seeing that, going through it and knowing the process and being able to bring that to acting has been very beneficial for me because I prepare in a very similar way.”

“Crown Heights” writer-director Matt Ruskin said he could see the parallels between Mr. Asomugha’s approach to sports and acting in his work ethic.

“Just observing how meticulous and detail-oriented he was, I could tell he was totally living and breathing this role … and see how he probably developed that skill while becoming a world-class athlete,” he said. “What he was lacking in experience he made up for tenfold in preparation.”

It should also be noted that “Crown Heights” may not have been quite as authentic without Mr. Asomugha. He brought onboard a production company that allowed the film to shoot on location in New York — as opposed to Louisiana, where the previous production company wanted to take advantage of tax credits, Mr. Ruskin said.

This is just one way that Mr. Asomugha is approaching his time in Hollywood, using his name and connections to tell stories that resonate with him. And at the core of his small but mighty brand — which spans executive producer credits on “Beasts of No Nation,” the short documentary “Waiting for Hassana” and a forthcoming Harriet Tubman film starring Cynthia Erivo, plus producer of “Crown Heights and another current release, “Patti Cakes” — is identity.

“It’s so crazy. That’s not intentional, but I’ve realized there is this theme in all of them,” he said. “Where do I fit in the world? Where do I fit in time? I didn’t know I was gravitating toward those stories.”

Perhaps, Mr. Asomugha said, it comes from his upbringing — outside of his home he was in America, but inside he was in Nigeria. (He was born in Louisiana but grew up in Los Angeles.)

“That can be confusing, because as a kid you’re trying to see where you fit in,” he said. “And I guess there was this identity complex there that I didn’t realize until film made it glaring for me.”

With “Crown Heights,” very much a narrative approach to the ongoing conversations around mass incarceration as seen in the Oscarnominated doc “13th” and shows like “Queen Sugar” and “Orange Is the New Black,” Mr. Asomugha is throwing his voice in. Having been arrested twice between ages 13 and 16 for crimes he didn’t commit and forced to spend a day in a holding cell — “It’s nothing compared to what Colin spent, but when something like that happens, it stays with you” — he hopes the film will help open people’s eyes.

JazzLive presents jazz keyboardist Ken Howard at the Agnes R. Katz Plaza, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown, at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public, this music series showcases some of the region’s finest jazz musicians each Tuesday. Information: www.trustarts.org or 412-456-6666.

TUESDAY

The Stars of the Silver Screen Rooftop Shindig will be held on the rooftop of the Theater Square Garage, Downtown, at 5:30 p.m. The evening will include a screening of the 1932 Greta Garbo and Ramon Novarro spy thriller, “Mata Hari,” entertainment by Phat Man Dee accompanied by other performers, food, themed cocktails and a vintage fashion market produced by Second Shift Crafters. Entertainment begins at 6 p.m. The movie will be shown at dusk and guests are encouraged to bring their own seating or blanket although a limited number of stadium chairs will be available for purchase. Free. The Andy Warhol Museum, The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and Pittsburgh Filmmakers are presenting this event. The rain date is Wednesday. For more info: www.warhol.org or 412-237-8300.

THURSDAY through next SUNDAY

Comedian Drew Michael appears at the Pittsburgh Improv, 166 E. Bridge St., at The Waterfront, Homestead. Mr. Michael is a Chicago comedian who looks at life from a dark, cerebral point of view. A founding member of the comedy collective, Comedians You Should Know, Mr. Michael released his first comedy special, “The Half-Hour,” on Comedy Central in fall 2016. He also is a writer for “Saturday Night Live.” Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 and 9:45 Friday; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday. For tickets, $20, www.improv.com or 412-462-5233.

FRIDAY

The Unblurred Dance Party will be held at Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty, at 9 p.m. On the first

The annual family-friendly Festival of Combustion will be presented by Rivers of Steel Arts from noon to 7 p.m. at the Carrie Furnaces National Historic Landmark, Carrie Furnace Boulevard, Rankin. The day will highlight hot art making processes including glass flame working, Raku ceramics, metal fabrication, aluminum casting and iron casting by the Rivers of Steel furnace team. New this year are sideshow and flame performances by CoffinBox Sideshow Team, featuring sword swallowing, fire breathing and other carnivalesque demonstrations. There will be hands-on activities for children and adults, live music by Pittsburgh rockers The Seams, mini tours of the furnaces and the Urban Garden, and food vendors Iron Oven Catering, Swissvale’s Wings and a Prayer, and Voodoo Brewing. Admission is $10 in advance, $15 at gate, under 18 free. Information: www.rosarts.org.