Nigeria’s daughter hits it big
ACTRESS WOWS HOLLYWOOD IN INSECURE
Coming to terms with her new international fame, actress and comedian Yvonne Orji, 33, is living her dream in the US as a lead supporting character on HBO’s original comedy-drama series Insecure alongside Issa Rae, her friend and Senegalese-American director, writer, actress, producer and web series creator.
Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, as the only daughter with three older brothers, Orji spent her early years as a child in the city until age six when her parents moved the family to Maryland in the US.
Filled with ambition and optimism, pre-schooler Orji soon realised she was different from the other children. Her accent made her a victim of bullying.
“I was bullied as a child when I got there just because I sounded different and was called names like African-booty-stretch. That experience made me a loner,” Orji said.
Coming to terms with her new environment, Orji sought advice from her parents who were academics.
“My parents, being Nigerian, did not get the concept of being social but rather told me ‘We did not come here for you to make friends. Go and study, get good grades and an education’.”
It was this era in her life that the vibrant actress attributes to her success as an adult as it was then that she learnt the reinforcement for excellence towards the things that really matter in life.
Orji took her experience of being bullied as a life lesson on control. “Being bullied helped me in my adult life to recognise that there are things you can’t control. But you need to focus on those that you can.”
Orji enrolled into a medical faculty to become a doctor – a dream she shared with her parents. But it was short-lived when she took up organic chemistry.
“I was supposed to be a doctor but I have a master’s in public health. I took up organic chemistry and realised I wasn’t going to be a doctor. However, being Nigerian, there is no such a thing as a compromise. My parents believed you either do something or you don’t. This saw me doing my master’s and later working in Liberia.”
In 2006, Orji found herself as
Catch Yvonne Orji as Molly on Insecure Season 2, Vuzu Amp channel 103 every Monday at 9.30pm. a contestant in a beauty pageant as a favour to one of her brother’s friends who was the organiser.
“I entered, got a dress and thought I had this in the bag until I was told that I needed a talent. Dumbstruck as I was, I fell to my knees and prayed to God to unveil my talent.”
Confused and frustrated, Orji’s answer was to do stand-up comedy as her talent showcase. Little did she know her five-minute gig would catapult her to even greater platforms.
Shortly after her debut, Orji was introduced to the world of comedy where she met Issa Rae and shortly after that the two were co-actors in the series Insecure, where Orji plays Molly, a young, career-driven, hopeless romantic searching for the only thing missing in her life: love.
“I became a fan of Issa after I saw her as an awkward black girl. In 2015 she e-mailed me to tell me that HBO had agreed to her pilot and she wanted me to be a part of it and that’s how Molly came to be.” 010 492-5227
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