The protagonist of a novel may seem like a prize to most actors, but the star of the new drama “Sylvie’s Love” had reservations.
“There was no way I was going to make a romantic movie until I read the script and saw that there were black people falling in love in the 50s and 60s,” said Nnamdi Asomugha, 39. “And then I thought, OK, I think people need to see this movie.”
“Sylvie’s Love”, which debuted on Amazon on December 23, takes place largely in the middle of the century in New York and explores the ups and downs of the relationship between Robert (Asomugha), a charismatic jazz saxophonist, and Sylvie (Tessa Thompson), a particular television producer.
Asomugha is considered a rising star in Hollywood: in 2017, her performance in the drama “Crown Heights” received nominations for the Indie Spirit and the NAACP Image Award. Earlier this year, he did what the Hollywood Reporter called “a promising Broadway debut” in a new staging of Charles Fuller’s “A Soldier’s Play”. Behind the scenes, he helped produce projects through his production company, iAm21 Entertainment, including “Sylvie’s Love”, “Crown Heights” and “Harriet”, as well as the Broadway play “American Son” (2018), starring his wife , actress Kerry Washington.
But before acting and producing, Asomugha was considered one of the best cornerbacks in the National Football League, playing 11 seasons for the Oakland Raiders and other teams before retiring in 2013.
It is “stunning that I would like to move from a career where you are under a microscope in an extreme way to another career where the microscope can be even bigger,” said Asomugha. “You can’t help what you fell in love with, and I fell in love with acting.”
He recently spoke via video about making the transition from football to acting, preparing for “Sylvie’s Love” (directed by Eugene Ashe) and the unexpected experience of appearing on Broadway. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
You went from a successful career in the NFL to an acting career. What was the schedule for you?
I was obsessed with movies and television while growing up. When I finished playing, the advice I received from former players was: find something to do that you are absolutely in love with. Because the love you have for him is what will sustain and lead you. And I knew that this was an avenue. I didn’t know that I would necessarily produce, but I knew that I wanted to act.
Were you still an NFL player when you were bitten by that bug, or was it after your career?
While I was still in the NFL, but I didn’t make the decision until probably a year later [retiring]. You go through that period of inner searching when you finish doing something you did in the last 20 or so years of your life. Is it an identity crisis, like, do I have more to expect in life? All the traumatic things you say to yourself.
Besides, I knew I wasn’t 20. I wasn’t just coming from Yale or Juilliard. The window seemed much shorter to me. So, I didn’t want to wait. I just wanted to start creating the projects so that people could say, oh, OK, he knows what he’s doing.
Do you often take lessons and experiences from your football career and apply them to your acting career?
I advise people all the time, get your kids into sports because sports have shaped my life – from discipline and patience and hard work and falling and needing to get up and not complain. But the first thing I think is the preparation. The same preparation I need for a football game or a football season, I brought this to play.
When did you start playing football?
I was 12 years old. The first year I played football was the last year I played the piano. One day, I was late for training and my trainer said, where were you? I said I’m sorry, I had a recital. And he laughed so hard. It was a great thing and I had to go around. That was the last time I played the piano. And that was the beginning of my football career. It was devastating and also affirmative. Like, OK, I need to focus on that. This is going to be what I do now.
You found your way back to an instrument.
I made!
Did you have to learn to play the tenor saxophone for “Sylvie’s Love”?
I didn’t need to, but I chose it because I love preparation. I love the process more than anything, sometimes even more than the actual moment. I have a saxophone coach who was also in the movie and we played for just over a year. And I found out I was very good at playing the saxophone. I say “was” because I haven’t played in a while, so I missed it a lot. But I wanted it to look authentic.
The film takes place during the civil rights movement in America. But with these two black characters and an almost entirely black cast, the backdrop is not politics, it is jazz. We see some of these elements manifest, but that was not the focus. Can you explain the intention behind this?
It was important for us to make these elements with nuances and not in your face. We wanted to focus on love. We were so defined by that period as black people. We know about marches and protests and water hoses and dogs and fights. But we were also falling in love. We were having a family, getting married, going to the ball. My father-in-law says that we used to go to the “ball”, we didn’t call it a club. We had this as part of our black culture and not celebrating it is a crime. It robs us of our humanity and just an entire aspect of our lives that really helped us to overcome those difficult times. So, for us, the thought was: why not show it? Why not enlighten the love we had for each other during this period of time?
It was also the reason why some people gave up making the film because they felt it should be rooted in the civil rights movement. But that was not the film we wanted to make. We felt that there was an audience not only for the love of blacks, but for love in general.
What are some moments in the film that you hope will resonate with viewers?
I think it was very important for us to show a level of vulnerability in men, especially black people.
I hope this promotes the conversation about being okay for men to be expressive, to say how they feel. The important thing for us was to show men doing this in front of their women.
You produced some films, some of which you starred in. Why did you choose the path of the producer?
The projects I was looking at not only didn’t interest me, but I wasn’t getting them. It’s not like the projects are there and they’re like, “Here’s your job!”
I was so serious that I didn’t want to use football to get through the door. So, that meant having to get up [in classes] in front of a lot of people who know who you are because they know football and you have to be doing a scene in front of them.
I just want to say that there was a level of discipline that I needed to have because I want it to be something that sustains me.
Like Do you and Kerry Washington support each other as actors? Are there plans to collaborate with each other on a film?
I produced “American Son”, but as actors, there are currently no plans for this collaboration. We support each other’s journeys a lot, but we have always been like that. We always want the best for each other in everything we do. And then it is not in the details of specific things; It is just a general appreciation for hard work.
Do you expect to do more plays on Broadway?
I had no dreams or aspirations to be on Broadway. I didn’t know that making plays would be on my cards until I did an Off Broadway play and fell in love with being on stage. And then, the following year, for me to be on Broadway in “A Soldier’s Play” and be in a role originated by Denzel – I was like, what’s going on?