Nnamdi Asomugha Becoming a Movie Star is a Fitting End to 2020
2020 is coming to an end soon and it’s the kind of year that’s not worth even recapping. The entire year from beginning to end has been a level of unbelievable that makes every year before it look simpler.
So thankfully the year of all years is finally drawing to a close. Only there’s one last 2020 moment that probably isn’t a big deal to most a big deal to plenty of Philadelphians: Former Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is the co-star of the Amazon Prime movie Sylvie’s Love with Tessa Thompson.
For Philadelphians the name “Nnamdi” is infamous. His mega-contract in the 2011 offseason was supposed to be the key piece of the Eagles “Dream Team.” But instead of being as good as Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman, Asomugha was a disaster for the Eagles. He instantly became the face of the “Dream Team’s” utter failure which marked the beginning of the end for the Andy Reid era. Not to mention that Nnamdi himself didn’t enjoy being an Eagle after hearing stories about him eating lunch in his own car.
Asomugha was released by the Eagles in the 2012 season and only played one more season for the 49ers before retiring for football. What many may not have known about him was that he did some acting on the side while playing football. Asomugha appeared in shows like The Game, Friday Night Lights and Kroll Show. The luckiest thing to happen to Nnamdi was surprisingly not getting overpaid by the Eagles, but by marrying Kerry Washington in 2013. Washington is best known as the star of the TV show Scandal and remains one of the best and most beautiful actresses on the planet.
As he continued his acting career Asomugha ascended to the big leagues as a producer as well, working as an Executive Producer for the Netflix movie Beasts of No Nation. Then in 2017 Nnamdi took on the role that made Hollywood take him seriously. He produced and starred in the Crime Drama Crown Heights, which premiered at the Sundance Film festival and was released by Amazon Studios and IFC films.
A couple of years later and Asomugha’s acting stock has grown in the latest Amazon film Sylvie’s Love, where he plays an aspiring saxophone player who falls in love with a Harlem woman working at her father’s record store played by Tessa Thompson. In Philly Thompson is probably best known for her roles in the Creed movies and Thor: Ragnarok. So not only does Nnamdi get to be with Kerry Washington in real life, but he gets to be with Thompson onscreen! What a lucky dude.
Reviews are high for Sylvie’s Love with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a big break for Asomugha’s acting career. Who knows, but a few years from now the former All-Pro corner maybe better known as an actor than a football player. So don’t be surprised if you every go back to a movie theater and see the notorious ex-Eagle on the big screen. A fitting conclusion to the bizzaro world that is 2020.