Uzo Aduba shared her uplifting BU commencement tips with Stephen Colbert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hV3HWSBRBM

Medfield native Uzo Aduba stopped by The Late Show Monday to talk with Stephen Colbert about the newly released season of Orange Is the New Black, her start in acting, and the message she shared with Boston University College of Fine Arts grads during her commencement speech last month.

Aduba, who ran track at BU and graduated in 2005, told Colbert that the main message of her speech was, “Fear is not a real thing.”

“What do you mean, fear is not a real thing?” Colbert asked.

“It’s something that we build up inside of ourselves,” Aduba said. “We think that it’s something that can paralyze us.”

“Well it definitely can,” Colbert interjected.

“I wanted them to just know that they should never stop trying for things, reaching for things because they’re afraid,” Aduba said.

She also discussed having to overcome her own fears when starting out her acting career.

“It was scary when I first started,” Aduba said. “It’s like stepping into the unknown. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself, really, into because you’ve never done it before. But it’s the willingness to try that I think is the most important thing, and I was willing to try.

“And I wanted these kids to really understand: Just go for it,” Aduba continued. “Go for it. Do it freely.”