MOC Monday: Nonso Anozie

Nonso Anozie is an actor who still seems like he’s on the fringes of American television, even though he’s been in a lot of American projects. The Grey, Game of Thrones, The Bible, Son of God, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Ender’s Game, NBC’s Dracula, CBS’ Zoo, the list goes on and on. Perhaps his role in Tut will finally cement him as one of Hollywood’s brightest newcomers (and I say “newcomer” loosely, since he’s been in the game since 2006). Anozie has always been great in what I’ve seen him in, but I’ve also always been frustrated by how many secondary roles he’s been given. Clearly, from his acting acumen, he could handle a leading man role. In fact, he should be given a leading man role and for Hollywood to not offer him such is a huge oversight.

Out of all of the roles I’ve seen him in, I’d say his role in Tut, General Horemheb, is possibly the closest to the leading man role. (I could be wrong, since I haven’t watched Game of Thrones.) He comes off as strong, of course, but there’s also a bit of vulnerability shown in the sense of Horemheb’s loyalty to Egypt and his men. What motivates Horemheb, for better or worse, is his desire to protect his men and ensure that they always gain glory in battle and in the eyes of Egypt. This level of connection Horemheb has with his men and seeing how he inspires them for battle is what takes Horemheb out of being “stereotypical black strong man” and puts him in the realm of an actual human being. For me, Anozie’s ability to draw out that vulnerability shows that he’s such a talented actor, an actor who is often given roles that are never challenging enough for him to really showcase his abilities.

What do you love about Nonso Anozie? Give your opinions in the comments section below!

Nonso Anozie as General Horemheb. Photo credit:  Jan Thijs/SPIKE