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5 Movies You May Not Know You Know Chiwetel Ejiofor From

A role like Solomon Northup is long overdue for an actor like Chiwetel Ejiofor. He’s been quietly building up an impressive résumé of supporting roles for the past decade or so, but having the opportunity to take on such a challenging lead role in 12 Years a Slave, and the almost certain Oscar nomination that will come with it, is sure to make him a known lead player, at long last. His work in 12 Years is absolutely outstanding, and since it’s a movie that’s so dependent on solid performances that make this dark world an immediate one for us, he bears the weight of its success on his shoulders, and carries it the entire way. More people are going to know his name by the time awards season rolls around, and for those that already do, they’ll likely finally learn how to pronounce it (“CHEW-wi-tell EDGE-ee-ah-for,” I’m told).

[h2]3) American Gangster[/h2]

American Gangster

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Another movie that makes good use of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s facial expressiveness is Ridley Scott’s 2007 film American Gangster. At times he’s used as the audience surrogate, playing Huey Lucas, brother of Frank Lucas, the titular figure played by Denzel Washington. Then when it’s called for, he’s the guy who begins to enjoy the benefits of the gangster lifestyle a bit too publicly, with Frank calling him out for wearing expensive clothes.

It’s not a terribly substantial role but one that’s just memorable enough for you to stop for a second and think the next time you see Ejiofor in a movie. This is a common trajectory for so-called character actors: playing relatively minor, supporting roles, maybe stealing the spotlight for a couple of moments or entire scenes, popping up in enough places that you begin to remember the face even if you never know the name. Certain actors, though, tend to be so memorable in parts that their presence in non-leading roles becomes so distracting that they can’t help but become stars. One example of this is Idris Elba, who also has a small part in American Gangster, and we’re beginning to see this with Ejiofor now.

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