For a time, Nnamdi Asomugha was one of the most feared defenders in the NFL during his time with the Oakland Raiders. Now he’s using his energy to pursue an acting career, which is starting to take off.
Asomugha first started acting back in 2008 when he made an appearance on the CW show “The Game.” He’s also appeared in the television shows “Friday Night Lights” and “Leverage.” In 2012 Asomugha made his first appearance on the big screen for “Fire with Fire,” which starred Bruce Willis and Rosario Dawson.
Clearly, acting hasn’t been just a hobby.
The former NFL star’s latest efforts have drawn rave reviews. He plays Trinidadian Carl King in the movie “Crown Heights,” which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. It’s a movie that explores the legal injustice against Colin Warner, whom police incorrectly pegged as a murderer. He spent two decades in prison before finally being freed in 2001.
Asomugha’s character knocks on doors and raises funds for his friend, Warner, and ultimately helps to exonerate him. Based on the reviews he’s getting, Asomugha nailed the role.
“A former member of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and a producer on the film, Asomugha really comes into his own as an actor in this role, dialing down the heroic aggrandizement and instead stressing the sheer weariness that such dedication enacts,” wrote Andrew Barker of Variety.com.
In addition to acting in “Crown Heights,” Asomugha was a producer in this film. We’ll eagerly await our opportunity to see Asomugha’s performance in this movie, and in any future films he sinks his teeth into.