More people seem to have seen Steven Spielberg’s Amistad from back in 1997 than I tend to expect, so those that remember it vividly enough may recall that Ejiofor played Djimon Hounsou’s interpreter in that movie. Or, those that were fortunate enough to behold the masterfully nonsensical 2012 might remember him as the scientist who warns the president about the end of the world but no one will listen to him because he’s crazy or something. Chances are most people saw Inside Man, and may have the image of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character, who was Denzel Washington’s partner in this (oh look, they’ve worked together a couple of times!) seared into their unconscious minds. If, unlike me, you saw Redbelt, you may have seen him in that too.
You know this guy. You’ve seen him in a number of movies before; it’s almost certain. But like stars like Gary Oldman and Richard Jenkins and many others before him, it’s nice to see him getting his name recognized and said out loud finally. His roles in previous movies may be solid supporting work that doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression, but you can be certain that after seeing 12 Years a Slave you will know the name of Chiwetel Ejiofor and hail his performance as one of the best of 2013.
