Chiwetel Ejiofor on Othello (Shakespeare On Stage)

Chiwetel Ejiofor discusses playing Othello, in this ebook taken from Shakespeare On Stage: Volume 2 - Twelve Leading Actors on Twelve Key Roles. In each volume of the Shakespeare On Stage series, a leading actor takes us behind the scenes of a landmark Shakespearean production, recreating in detail their memorable performance in a major role. They leads us through the choices they made in rehearsal, and how the character works in performance, shedding new light on some of the most challenging roles in the canon. The result is a series of individual masterclasses that will be invaluable for other actors and directors, as well as students of Shakespeare - and fascinating for audiences of the plays. In this volume, Chiwetel Ejiofor discusses playing Othello in Michael Grandage's production at the Donmar Warehouse in 2007. This interview, together with the others in the series (with actors such as Simon Russell Beale, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Harriet Walter), is also available in the collection Shakespeare On Stage: Volume 2 - Twelve Leading Actors on Twelve Key Roles by Julian Curry, with a foreword by Nicholas Hytner.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is a British actor, best known for portraying the characters Solomon Northup in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013), Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange (2016), Dr. Vincent Kapoor in The Martian (2015), and Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things (2002). For 12 Years a Slave he received an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was nominated for a 2014 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his performance in Dancing on the Edge. He was awarded the BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award in 2006, two Golden Globe Award nominations, and the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in Othello in 2008. That same year he was awarded an OBE for services to the arts, elevated to CBE in 2015.