Born in London, CYNTHIA ADDAI-ROBINSON, whose mother is from Ghana and father from America, moved with her mother to the United States and was raised in a Suburb of Washington, DC. CYNTHIA fell in love with acting at a very young age, performing in all her school plays and local productions. She furthered her love of the Arts when she went on to pursue a degree in Theatre at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. After performing in several plays in New York, CYNTHIA moved to Los Angeles, and appeared on show such as CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, and Numbers. Her recent recurring roles include the F/X show Dirt and ABC's Flash Forward.
She can currently be seen on the big screen in the Sony film Columbiana. CYNTHIA will next be seen on the hit Starz show Spartacus playing the series regular role of 'Naevia'.
Gilles Nuytens: Hello and nice to meet you! Firstly I would like to know what drives you in life?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: What drives me in life ... that's a tough one! I am definitely someone who pushes myself, and as a result, I try to grow and learn along the way. So I guess I'd say my curiosity and my constant desire to learn and be open to new things.
Gilles Nuytens: I see that you fell in love with acting at a very young age. Can you tell us more about this love for acting?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: My passion for acting is really about my love of being a storyteller. I come from a family of really animated storytellers! I think it may have somehow come from that. I was a really shy child, but being on a stage - having that platform - gave me permission to be outgoing and loud. I liked the fact that I could be the shy , quiet girl laying low and then surprise everyone with a performance that seemed so unlike me. I would say that holds true to this day.
Gilles Nuytens: To follow up the previous question, what made acting more than a simple hobby? Why did you choose this profession instead of something else?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: My first experience with the "craft" of acting was when I was a teenager. I was looking for something to do one summer and applied to a pre-college program at Carnegie Mellon University. It really opened my eyes to the history and technique of acting, and it was exciting to be with like-minded people who were as passionate about acting as I was. After that I knew I wanted to go to college and pursue a degree in theater, and I still can't believe that my mother went along with it, but I am extremely lucky that she did. I could have taken a "safer" route and studied something practical, but nowadays that's no guarantee that you'll have it any easier than a starving artist. Better to starve for something you're hungry for.
Gilles Nuytens: As an actress, what is the part of the job you are the less at ease with? And what is the one you are the most at ease with?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I'm still navigating the world of social media. It's something I'm trying to embrace because I recognize that it's a great way to connect with people who are fans of your work. But I'm also a very private person, so I'm trying to find my comfort level in terms of what kind of information I share. I'm most at ease when I'm actually acting; as an actor, you're doing so many other things that are business-related, that sometimes acting becomes a small part of what you do. The rest of the time is spent reading, auditioning, doing press, etc. The other aspects of the job can be fun too, but acting definitely gives me the most satisfaction.
