‘Painkiller’ Star Uzo Aduba Journey: How a Track Scholarship Opened Doors for Her Path to Hollywood

Uzo Aduba, the award-winning actress known for her roles on “Orange Is the New Black” and “Mrs. America,” recently shared how a track scholarship to Boston University put her on the path to performing. She reflects on her upbringing and the importance of her parents’ support in pursuing her passions. Despite her aunt’s disapproval, Aduba’s parents encouraged her artistic pursuits and instilled in her the belief that hard work leads to success.

She recently featured in Painkiller, a Netflix Showtime series created by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harper, focuses on the impact of the launch of opioids on the American population. Based on real-life events, the series opens with a disclaimer from non-actors who share their personal stories of loved ones lost to the opioid crisis. However, the style of the show is described as being “ostentatious” and “distracting” from the substance of the series according to Hollywood Reporter.

The series is adapted from the book Pain Killer by Barry Meier and the New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe. Painkiller follows the Sackler family, particularly Richard Sackler portrayed by Matthew Broderick, and the launch of OxyContin which eventually leads to countless patients becoming addicted to the drug according to Daily Mail.

Uzo Aduba’s character takes on Purdue Pharma, the company responsible for the launch of OxyContin. The show ambitiously presents multiple perspectives, but the characters remain generic composites. Overall, the series strives for both education and entertainment, but it is criticized for being excessively stylized.

Aduba’s mother came to the U.S. from Nigeria in 1970 as a result of her reporting on the Nigerian-imposed mass starvation of Biafrans. Her father came to America in 1973 to attend college and decided to stay after graduating from the University of Kentucky.

Aduba grew up in Medfield, Massachusetts, with her supportive parents who believed in the importance of hard work and excellence. As a child, she participated in a variety of extracurricular activities, including figure-skating, playing the violin, taking voice lessons, and studying ballet. However, when her skating coach suggested she reduce her school hours to train, her parents put a stop to it.

Seeking a new activity to occupy her time, Aduba’s high school track coach invited her to join the team, and she quickly became a skilled sprinter. Her impressive times earned her a full scholarship to Boston University, where she majored in voice performance she told The Wall Street Journal. While studying voice, Aduba also began taking acting classes and discovered a passion for performance. She was cast in a two-person play during her junior year of college and fell in love with acting, eventually receiving a Helen Hayes Award nomination.

Following college, Aduba pursued a career in theater before gaining recognition for her breakout role in “Orange Is the New Black.” “I auditioned for the show back in late July or early August of [2012]. I had been auditioning that summer for more television and film. I’d read a lot of scripts and I remember reading “Orange Is the New Black,” and it was at the head of the pack. I remember thinking, “Wow, that is really good, I would love to be a part of that.”

Today, Aduba continues to act and divide her time between Los Angeles and New York, and she cherishes her mother’s memory and the values she instilled in her, including the importance of hard work.