Photo: Photographer: Max Hemphill
Of course,O-T Fagbenlerelied on standard resources like books and videos to inform his portrayal of PresidentBarack Obamain Showtime’sThe First Lady. But the British actor also brought the former commander-in-chief into his everyday life.
“Some generous friends of mine gave me time to pretend to be Obama around them,” Fagbenle, 41, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “I’d even practiced my Obama voice in a virtual reality game I used to play.”
The Emmy nominee calls playing Obama “one of the greatest challenges of my career so far” because he finds the 60-year-old politician to be “such a loved and such a complex, nuanced person.”
For moreO-T Fagbenle, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
Fagbenle’s prep paid off according toThe First Ladyshowrunner and executive producer Cathy Schulman.
“From O-T’s first reading ofBarack Obama, it was clear he could channel the very essence of our former President,” she tells PEOPLE. “O-T was able to pick up the President’s expressions, gestures and habits, and most importantly, Barack’s joyous belief in human beings. O-T’s performance is spectacular, and his interactions with Viola Davis asMichelle Obamaare kinetic.”
Jackson Lee Davis/SHOWTIME
RELATED VIDEO: Anne Hathaway on How She ‘Respectfully’ Approached Playing Gwyneth Paltrow’s Cousin in New Series
Coming off of Marvel’sBlack Widowlast year, Fagbenle, who’s also filming season 5 ofThe Handmaid’s Tale, feels “really grateful” for this major moment in the spotlight. “I’m just counting my lucky stars,” he says.
But Fagbenle felt like he reached a career peak way before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, received an Emmy nomination or starred in two of spring’s hottest shows.
“When I started my career, I didn’t even think at all really about doing television. I was really focused on theater,” he admits. “My first year out of drama school and I’d got a part in a community theater play, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I’m getting to act for a living. I’ve made it.'”
Today, Fagbenle considers it a “source of a lot of gratitude” to be “an artist who can live off of being an artist.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He credits television’s expansion onto streaming platforms with being able to take on more opportunities.
“There’s been an expansion in television and it’s led to quite a lot of diversity in front of the camera, in ways that didn’t really exist when I was first coming out of drama school,” Fagbenle says. “I think about the Black, British actors from 20 years ago and 30 years ago, we didn’t have the opportunities that I have; the talent that never got a chance to blossom. So I’m going to try and make the most of my opportunity.”
Fagbenle, one of 12 siblings, has celebrated his recent success with family. “Most of my best friends are within my family,” he says.
He also wants to use his platform to give back through his Ally Bedford Children’s Foundation — named after his mom — that gives back to communities in Africa. Fagbenle, born to a British mom and Nigerian dad, spent time in Nigeria as well as Spain growing up.
“I’ve been so privileged in my life and trying to create opportunities for others seems like an attempt to make an equitable distribution to the communities that I’ve lived in,” Fagbenle says. “I’ve been so fortunate.”
source: people.com
