For seven seasons of Orange Is the New Black, Uzo Aduba garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of the eccentric and endlessly layered Suzanne (also known as "Crazy Eyes"). However, this is certainly not Aduba's only vibrant role; a magical pony, benevolent witch, and presidential candidate are just some of the varied characters in her filmography.
Including every genre from animation to historical drama, here are Uzo Aduba's top ten roles, ranked according to the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer.
My Little Pony: The Movie (48%)
Aduba portrays Queen Novo in this 2017 cinematic adaptation of the vibrant television series, which depicts the antics of colorful ponies with saccharine personalities and high-pitched voices. In the film, Queen Novo serves as a majestic role model for the other ponies, who are up against a villain called the Storm King.
Queen Novo possesses a magical pearl, which Twilight (voiced by Tara Strong) thinks they should use to "transform every pony at home into something powerful enough to face the Storm King's Army." Novo, however, sees the potential pitfalls of this plan and refuses, telling Twilight, "My responsibility is to protect my subjects. The pearl is not going anywhere."
We Are Boats (50%)
In this drama about the implications of life and death, Sir (Aduba) supervises recently deceased people who interact with the living...and ultimately decide their fate. Sir's latest mentee is the posthumous sca, played by Angela Sarafyan, who is meant to interact with living people but avoid what Sir refers to as emotional attachments.
The movie's cheesy sentimentality lacks intrigue, but Aduba's portrayal of Sir is worthwhile for the character's convincing dedication to her mission. She tells sca, "It is a difficult job we're doing, in a very complicated world." A world in which the dead share a muddled relationship with the living? That's complicated, all right.
Miss Virginia (60%)
This 2019 dramatization of real-life events portrays Virginia Walden's attempts to change the unequal educational system in America. Spurred to action by concern for her son James, she advocates for a scholarship that would provide him and other low-income students with access to education that is often reserved for wealthy families.
Aduba portrays Virginia's dedication and love for her son with a palpable level of emotional drive; in one spine-tingling moment, she declares, "He needs change today. Not tomorrow, not next week, and definitely not eventually."
Candy Jar (71%)
Like Miss Virginia, this 2018 Netflix original tackles the relationship between private schools and class. Aduba portrays Julia Russell, the mother of Yale-bound high schooler Bennett (Jacob Latimore).
Although he and Lona (Sami Gayle), who comes from a working-class family, are initially rivals on their school's debate team, they forces and subsequently alter their longstanding perceptions of each other.
Tallulah (85%)
Starring Ellen Page as the titular character, this Netflix original tackles the challenges and nuances of parenting in a world where "motherhood" entails innumerable complexities. After Tallulah steals the daughter of Carolyn, a mother she meets in a hotel, Child Protective Services investigator Louisa Kinnie (Aduba) investigates.
In their haunting first encounter, Carolyn (Tammy Blanchard) discovers that the pregnant Louisa already has two children and declares, "Imagine losing one." Louisa responds, "I can't." The film also stars Allison Janney as Margo, the estranged mother of Tallulah's boyfriend, who forms a touching friendship with Tallulah and the child.
Beats (90%)
In another Netflix original, Uzo Aduba plays the heartfelt mother Carla, whose son August (Khalil Everage) struggles with mental health issues after the shooting of his sister.
His school's security guard Romelo (Anthony Anderson) attempts to help August overcome psychological turmoil and pursue his ion for music.
Orange Is The New Black (90%)
In the epitome of a career-defining role, Aduba portrays incarcerated woman Suzanne, better known as "Crazy Eyes" by, well, everyone at Litchfield Penitentiary. Like many of the women on Orange Is the New Black, Suzanne becomes more and more compelling with every episode; her coexistent humor and emotional depth make Crazy Eyes one of the show's most captivating characters.
Aduba never runs out of range in portraying Crazy Eye's warmth, distinctive personality, and heartwarming moments of insight. As she herself explains, "I am not crazy. I am unique."
The Wiz Live! (91%)
Aduba flaunts her musical aptitude as Glinda the Good Witch in this live adaptation of Queen Latifah as the Wiz and Mary J. Blige as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Aduba is absolutely joyous as Glinda and performs her musical numbers with impeccable vocal power. Near the end of the musical, she gives Dorothy (played by Shanice Williams) some especially iconic advice: "Just click your heels three times. Think of home." These are familiar words in the narrative of Dorothy Gale, but Aduba utters them with unforgettable gravitas.
Mrs. America (95%)
Aduba plays Democratic presidential candidate and congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in this Hulu miniseries, which covers notable moments in the 1970s battle over women's rights and co-stars Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne. Chisholm ran on the Democratic ticket in 1972 (the first Black woman to do so), and the series depicts her struggle to be ed by white women in the feminist movement.
Although Chisholm is not the focus of every episode, Aduba's rousing performance might make viewers wish otherwise. In one emotional moment of her presidential campaign, Chisholm gives a speech at the 1972 Democratic Convention, declaring, "In this country, everybody is supposed to be able to run for President, but that has never really been true. Someone had to do it first. So I did it. I did it because I was the only one who had the audacity to shake this system up."
Steven Universe: The Movie (100%)
Following her nine-episode run on the Steven Universe. Steven (voiced by Zach Callison), Bismuth, and other principal characters are Crystal Gems, a group that fights for Earth's survival and well-being.
After Steven's friends forget who they are due to the villainous plan of a Gem named Spinel, Steven feels lost, but Bismuth offers crucial advice in a majestic musical performance. She sings, "When you go against the grain, there's always somebody around you can't trust. That's why we've got to have each other."