Uzo Aduba Learned To Embrace Her Teeth Gap | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

you play Shirley Chisum just this great. historic character and you get an Emmy. for that as well wild and and it's just. uh and like I say it's when it starts to. rain it really pours you know but it's a. great it's a great feeling that I mean. to me because so much of this book is. about your mom and getting strength from. your mom and perspective from your mom. and reading your mom's journals M and re. going back and reading after she passed.

her journals and there's a part where. you're reading her journal and she's. she's writing in her journal you didn't. know this at the time but man I'm really. worried about so I don't know that she's. going to make it and she would you know. leave food put food in your refrigerator. yeah like she after I moved you know I'm. reading these true story like reading. these journals and it's like she's in in. there just like constantly you know like. this path that I've chosen she's like. praying the thing I think she prayed. every night like she's like I pray every.

night ending your Jour she like that o o. I'm worried about oo she never calls me. she needs money she called today and I. gave her what I had you know and it's. like she's stressed out she would come. up the first time she came when I moved. to New York and I didn't have anything I. was waiting tables I didn't have. anything in my fridge and she was like. what where where is your food and I was. like uh you know I just eat at work it's. fine you know like they give a preal you. don't know if any of you guys waited. tables you know like pre meal they give.

you pre-meal there I was like they give. me pre meal there and so I eat that and. you know in the morning I just have like. a little oatmeal or like some couple. hardboiled eggs it's fine and right. before she's leaving uh she took me to. the Stop and Shop in so I was in Queens. she took me to the Stop and Shop over. there in uh Sunnyside aor on the atoria. line which is a big grocery store and. she was like get whatever you want and I. was like no I'm fine and she's like. whatever you want and she like would. come and either bring food food from.

home or like help me stock up my fridge. cuz she was like I can't do much but I. can do this you know and would just like. you know contribute in that way and I'm. forever grateful my mom was an amazing. lady I just need to go on record as. having said that she was not a good. mother she was an excellent mother well. I mean that's such a big part of this. book which is so nice is uh talking. about that he said your mom was very not. a tall woman she's like 5T tall yeah but.

she seemed really tall to you huge she. was a giant to me my whole life in my. child memory and probably because I'm. like two feet but I'm like looking up at. her you know what I mean like and I. don't think it was until well well well. adulthood that I realized I was like. you're like not only are you not tall. you're actually short like you know like. you're you're small um but she had she. was wearing incredibly like High. platform she got these Elton John shoes.

that's right the Elton John estate sale. that's right that's right she wore them. to intimidate took them off when we were. all you know like she yeah she was that. and like but she was like spunky and. like had such a big personality and like. you know I was trying to be I'm the big. big personality too in my house and like. you know would talk and be like no we. need to do it this way my mom's like. number one comment to me all the time.

was oo there's only one captain on this. ship and you're looking. at that's like her go-to life what's. interesting is you talk about so much uh. people always think they need to change. or mold themselves to make it when. sometimes um for example you you know. like the way that you said I wanted I.

was interested you were interested in. changing your name when you were younger. you were interested or you had people. tell you early on in acting you've got. this Gap in your teeth you should. probably do something about that and. there are a lot of people who go through. these cosmetic changes to try and fit. into something that someone else thinks. they should fit into yeah but now that. whole idea just seems crazy it does and. I can't. imagine if I had had done that you know.

frankly for me you know there were so. many pictures of me when I look at. myself as a small kid I just did not. smile cuz I was so conscious of my Gap. i' do this like you know Clos mouth. smile my mom would always be like smile. smile smile and then my senior year I. had a photographer uh for my senior uh. yearbook portrait you know you get your. senior pictures it's like the fancy one. like yep right so we had like the. outside guy come and like do the like. yearbook picture sure and you know like.

every time we'd be talking I'd be. smiling and then as soon as he picked up. the camera to shoot I'd close my mouth. and not smiling he's like why do you. keep doing that you know what's that. about and I was like um I don't like my. smile and he was like really I think you. have a beautiful smile and um I didn't. smile in that picture but I did. immediately the rest of that school year. start. smiling and even now when I walk on. carpets and I'm supposed to give you.

know like face or whatever I find myself. wanting to smile and it's because I want. to like make up for these lost Smiles. you know and I feel like it's such an. identifier for who I am and you know. like if I Chang that you know like. that's so much of my ancestry in this. space between my teeth it's who I am. it's the it's the smile my aunt has it's. the smile my great a had you know it's. it's a smile so many of my cousins have. we call it my mother's maiden name I'm.

Gap you know and I would have taken a. piece of myself away yeah you know um. and now I just wear it proudly and when. asked to take it out um in the beginning. of my career I had a choice and there. was an early part of my life when I. wanted to really fit in and thought. taking away the parts of me that made me. unique would make me better yep and at. this stage of my life when I was. approached with this idea of closing my.

Gap I really understood that the parts. of myself that made me unique are. actually what make me better yeah yeah. it's just it takes a little bit of. living to figure that out especially. when you're um I had this experience. where um Mike Wallace the great you know. like journalist and host of 60 kind of. the one of the lead hosts of 60 minutes. he was on our show once and um this has. been much commented on I'm not just. white I'm.

translucent I go beyond. white uh I'm a whole other thing and uh. side effect of one of that is that I. have this uh vein underneath my eye that. you can kind of see and um I remembered. I was doing a you know talking to the. great Mike Wallace and we're having this. interview and then I say okay well you. know we'll take a break we have more. with Mike Wallace right after this. B Bam Bam and Mike wus just takes his.

finger and he reaches over and he puts. it on the vein underneath my eye and he. said what are you going to do about. that now Jesus and the thing is I he. wasn't being mean he was well no I I. listen I I I have a lot of respect for. Mike Wallace and and he was very nice to. me what he was kind of doing was just. saying like as a guy who'd been in. broadcasting since the 1940s or 50s he. was kind of just saying you know oh yeah.

that's something you're going to you. know you're cuz I was early in my career. he was probably saying like oh yeah so. what's uh what do we do about that is. there a kind of makeup you can put on or. something or can you get rid of it and I. thought well it it is I think it's. supplying blood to my. brain so I could just see going to a. surgeon and having it removed and I'm. just like welcome to the whole section. of the speaking part of my occipital. lobe is gone.

but man his eyes look good ex but yeah I. just remember thinking there are all. these things about me I was you know I. had a weird name growing up and uh. looked a little different and um wasn't. sure where I fit in I'm I'm like an. Irish Catholic kid but I don't really. like sports and I like to read and uh I. have a weird brain and I remember just. thinking like I don't know where I fit. into the whole thing but then later on.

those things become oh thank God I mean. I'd still like to fix the vein but what. are you going to do about. that I'm having it removed tomorrow but. I know it's it's interesting that there. are many different forms that can take. for lots of different people who are. listening that if you can write it out. those things and I think. unfortunately you know social media and. also uh the rise of all these different. cosmetic surgeries or injections people.

can get has I see so many people that. have clearly like injected their lips. injected their faces done things and. they just look like everybody else now. and I think well that's too bad I love. character yeah I really do like I love. those little touches whether it's in the. face in the hair in the mouth whatever. that. just make makes you look St in a. different way and I actually think those.

things make you more interesting to oh. yeah in a beautiful way you know. personally that's my my thoughts on it. but well I. disagree I think you're out of your mind.