Walking through Shanghai, actor Nonso Anozie couldn’t help
but stick out in the crowd. The 6-foot-6 London native of Nigerian
parentage attracted a massive group of Chinese spectators wherever
he went on a recent trip to China for British theater group Cheek
By Jowl’s production of “Othello,” in which he
plays the leading role.
“I think China was one of my favorite places,” he
said. “I felt like an alien sometimes. People would actually
come up to you and say, “˜Hello,’ and take pictures with
you. They were just fascinated with me as a black man, as well as
the play. I think they rarely see black people.”
Anozie, 25, has also been making a large appearance recently in
the theater community. He first made a splash last year playing
opposite legendary British theater actor Kenneth Branagh in a
retelling of David Mamet’s “Edmond” in
Britain’s prestigious National Theatre.
Anozie and Cheek By Jowl’s production of
“Othello” makes its West Coast premiere tonight at
UCLA’s Freud Playhouse. In his latest role as Othello, Anozie
has garnered even more rave reviews.
“The power of Nonso Anozie is remarkable,” French
magazine La Voix du Nord said. “He is the most complete
Othello in the world.”
Perhaps Anozie plays Othello so well because the actor
sympathizes with the character.
“I personally relate to Othello,” Anozie said.
“I can understand the situation he’s in as a black man
that is successful. You just seem to have to work twice as hard
just to get along with your white counterparts. And also,
he’s a man in love, and I’ve been in love before.
It’s not just the race issue. When you understand what being
in love means, then you can understand what Othello eventually does
in the play.”
Much of Anozie’s success has been aided by Cheek By Jowl
director Declan Donnellan, who originally recruited Anozie fresh
out of college, at age 23, to perform as King Lear with the Royal
Shakespeare Company Academy. The director was so impressed with
Anozie that he invited him again, this time to play Othello in his
production of the famous Shakespearean tragedy.
But success and fame at such a young age has not changed the
down-to-earth actor.
“Fame is just a facade,” Anozie said, “and not
something I really aim for. You see, all these famous people or
“˜stars,’ are just human beings like you and
me.”
When asked, Anozie will speak surprisingly candidly about his
youth. Growing up in London, Anozie knew he wanted to become an
actor from watching Spider-Man. He wanted to be different, like his
hero.
“I really loved Spider-Man when I was a kid,” he
said. “I used to try and climb walls with rubber gloves and
things like that. I think it was just the way he could shoot webs
and swing.”
Like most people, Anozie was first introduced to Shakespeare as
a teenager in school with “Romeo and Juliet,” and says
he didn’t really get it at first.
“At first, I didn’t see the point of it,”
Anozie said, “until I read it. And then I saw the Franco
Zepherelli version of it, and I really loved that film. That made
me want to study.”
Nor has success jaded the actor.
“I could never have expected it with my wildest dreams to
play King Lear and Othello by the time I’m 25. It’s
unheard of, really. A lot of the time, I have to sit down and stop
and say, “˜I’m actually playing Othello.’ I just
say, “˜Thank you God’ and just sometimes, I can’t
believe that I’m … we just flew into Los Angeles, for
goodness sake, because of a play that we’re doing.”
The world tour, which began in March and concludes in December,
has included Australia, Europe and Asia. Some of Anozie’s
favorite experiences have been waking up in the morning in his
Shanghai hotel room and watching from his window elderly people do
tai chi in a nearby park, whale watching in Australia’s Walsh
Bay, seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, drinking
borscht in Russia and eating pierogi in Poland.
The conclusion of the tour will bring Anozie back to his
ancestral country of Nigeria, where his mother and family friends
will come see the play. The theater group then goes returns home to
London.
But for now, Anozie plans to enjoy his first trip to Los
Angeles. He’s looking forward to visiting Universal Studios
and UCLA.
“I’ve heard that people are friendly,” Anozie
said.