Uzo Aduba Could’ve Been An Olympic Figure Skater | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

you're from Medfield Massachusetts and. I'm thinking we probably have. similarities in the way that we grew up. in Massachusetts and uh I'm also. imagining big. differences uh and you talk about this. in your book you're growing up in. Medfield Mass yes and are you the only. black student in your in your area or. did you feel did you feel like you you. were an alien that had dropped onto. another planet or did you feel. comfortable at times an alien and then.

at times comfortable I mean first of all. a yes um outside of my siblings yes I. was like the only one you know um there. were two others in my entire school you. know um so there's a level of it that. was um comfortable because that's all I. knew having grown up there you know I. was used to it then but then there's. moments that happen as you mature and. you grow and you start to notice like.

the absence of you that you're wondering. why why am I the only person here like. where is everybody else you know like. how come I only see them on the weekends. when I go to these ebo meetings with my. family um or just even like in smaller. things you know I would watch I remember. there was one year um Disney you know. the wonderful world of Disney like M on. Sundays would do their movies and they. had done an adaptation of paulana an all. black adaptation called Paulie and was. Felicia Rashad it's amazing by the way.

if you've never seen it I love it I have. it on DVD to this day um it's called. Polly with Felicia Rashad kha night pum. and uh Brian Adams who was like my first. like crush and I remember getting. excited because my friends at school. we'd always watch all the like movies. whatever and then I came one day ready. to talk about Polly and nobody had seen. it oh yeah and I was like how did you. miss this genius work that just came out. you know but that just wasn't on the.

radar so those were the moments where. you started to notice the gaps I noticed. the gaps you know or like talking about. hair or braids or moments where people. you know I'd have like my hair out and. then have braids the next day and they'd. be like how did your hair grow so fast. and I was. like I don't know how you know I just. realized that there was a different. understanding of culture you talk in the. book which Congratulations by the way. it's an amazing story thank you and it's. a beautiful story because you're really.

writing. this it it feels like it's a it's your. story but it's also a tribute to your. mom who passed in 2020 yes you know one. of the first things that I clocked when. I was reading the book is um your. mom uh she died tooo early but she got. to see all. your success that's right and to me. that's the big blessing yes she got to. see your your crazy success because it.

was a long road for you but I was I was. watching or noticing in the early part. of the book you're talking about how you. really didn't you're uncomfortable with. your name cuz people had a hard time. pronouncing it so you told your mom you. were thinking of changing it to Zoe Zoe. yeah and your mom had this genius. response she had and she was ready you. know I was in the kitchen I had a. teacher and friend you know who just. would never say it right and was like so. you know tough and you just want to.

blend in when you're a kid you don't. want to like stand out for anything I. didn't anyway um when I was little and. um I remember coming home and she's in. the kitchen and I was like Mommy and. she's like eh and I was like can you. call me Zoe and she was cooking and she. stopped and she was like why and I was. like because they can't say. oaka and without skipping a beat my. mother was. like you think learn to say chikosi and.

doeski and. mangelo and they can learn to say and. she just went back to cooking and it was. like the end of it yeah you know M mic. drop mic Dro a total mic drop and she. had been through it before I have an. older siblings my older sister she her. name is Onie she wanted to be called. Tony you know and well that's just. that's just confusing the same hey. dony and she'd already said the same.

thing to her you know she and and what. she was really just like establishing. right there at the door was who you are. is okay is enough and everybody better. get used to it good God bless she uh you. were a good student great athlete you. were interested you were I mean you very. serious figure skater yes for years and. years yes and you were interested in. going to the Olympics and you had a lot. of ability and then your parents come to.

you and say we can't afford this anymore. yeah you know I'm one of five kids and. um you know we had a pretty humble. upbringing um and ready there were two. of my siblings were in college um and it. was just it's a figure skating is a very. very expensive sport for people who. don't know you know there's skates and. ice time and coaches fees choreography. costumes travel adds up and um my.

parents were doing the best they could. you know to keep up but as the hours. were growing and just in that year when. I had to stop my coach at the time had. said you know she actually needs to. skate more put in more hours and you. know we can see where this goes and at. that point my parents were already you. know pretty stretch thin and they were. like my mom set me down at a competition. and she was like this is going to be the. last one this will be the last one she's. like we can't afford it anymore this is.

like a college education you know um we. we don't have it and um it was tough at. the time you know as a kid you don't. have that same understanding and I. didn't have the level of understanding. or maybe even appreciation some level of. what had already been expensed and. sacrificed for me but when I look back. on it now and think about it I'm like. wow you know there was skating there was. violin there was cello was ballet there.

was hockey there were so many things. that my parents saw when they came to. this America as my mom would always say. that has opportunities and exposures and. experiences that just did not exist H. wholly did not exist for them as kids. that it was like wow they did everything. they could they stretched it to the line. to try and make it happen for their kids. and just give them a a taste even if. they had to they couldn't serve you the. whole meal you know they wanted to give. you just a taste of what this the.

possibility of America also I have this. theory that good work is never wasted so. if. you uh in this case at a young age for. many years work very hard on figure. skating and the training and the. dedication and uh the Ju Just the you. know. repetitive uh um you know repetitive. honing of a certain skill over and over. and over again uh is an amazing thing to.

learn and that's going to be with you. clearly you take that because that. doesn't work out but then you get. interested in theater and you apply that. to acting and so all hard work is. preparation for something else it. doesn't people get too literal and think. oh that was all wasted because you're. not a professional you're not an Olympic. figure skating champion no that all went. into something else 100,000% and like.

having played done track done track and. field as well and figure skated like for. so long which are individual sports for. the most part you know like. self-motivating is something that I've. learned since I'm five you know what I. mean good head talk being able to like. talk my head into doing something that I. want to achieve because you have to do. that for the three and a half four. minutes on the ice you know you have to. develop a good head talk you have to. develop a good head talk when you're on.

the blocks running track to get your. mind in the place it needs to be to. achieve and listen guess what if that's. not true for me I have a daughter now I. can shove these dreams onto her um. so joking I'm. joking kidding sort of um no not. really you just be a total tiger mom.