BOSSIP's Top 20 Up-And-Comers To Watch In 2012

Adepero Oduye – Actress

In the new film “Pariah,” Adepero Oduye plays Alike, a 17-year-old African-American girl in New York struggling to reconcile her identity as a lesbian and an emerging writer with the expectations of her conservative parents and her outspoken best friend. The role required much of the young actress, as Alike experiences plenty of emotional tumult navigating the complex terrain of coming of age. Perhaps the most outwardly remarkable aspect of Oduye’s performance, however, is that she’s nearly twice as old as the character she plays.

“Adepero was a force,” Rees said. “She really threw herself in and wasn’t afraid to fully immerse herself in the character. It’s a blessing to find your muse the first day out.” Oduye had planned to attend medical school, but when her father, a lifelong academic, died suddenly during her junior year of college, she began to reevaluate her life goals. She enrolled in an acting class and immediately realized that she wanted to pursue a career in the arts – though she opted not to change her major. “It was kind of a wakeup call that life is too short for something you don’t want to do,” she said. “He gave me such a gift. It’s only because of that that I had the courage to even ask what it is that I really want to do.” After graduation, Oduye landed small parts in films such as 2006’s “Half Nelson” and TV series including “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” and studied with respected New York instructors Susan Batson, Austin Pendleton and Wynn Handman. She applied to be an extra in Rees’ “Pariah” short and landed in the lead role. – Source

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