A significant part of Adjoa Andoh's (61) artistic career has taken place on the best theatrical stages in England such as the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, or the Royal Court Theatre. In 2009, she made her Hollywood debut under Clint Eastwood's direction in the film Invictus, where she starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.
However, Andoh's international fame is due to the acclaimed period series Bridgerton, where she portrays Lady Danbury, a wealthy aristocratic widow and faithful advisor to Queen Charlotte. In her recent collaboration on the podcast Stirring It Up, the actress denounced that during filming, they still fail to properly light black people who have some of the most relevant roles in the plots. She considers it a shame because there is a great variety of races in all episodes.
Faced with this issue that has haunted her throughout much of her career, she admitted that currently, she feels free to speak up. She emphasized that the burden faced by black actors to ask for what they deserve can be exhausting, especially compared to white actors.
When people tell her she is aggressive or militant, she defends herself: "I am just a human being and I just want to make the most of the gift I have been blessed with. I want to do it freely, as I see many other people do." She also added that in this fight against racial prejudices, one can end up paying a very high price in terms of mental health.
"It's a double psychology issue that happens all the time, right? That is, did I get that job because of my race? Did I not get that job because of my race? I don't want to think about that. I just want to get the job because I'm great or not get it because I'm a ...," she explained on the podcast.
Adjoa Andoh has been married to writer and lecturer Howard Cunnell since 2001, although they started dating in late 1995. The couple has two children, Liam (28) and Jesse (27), although from a previous relationship, the actress has a daughter, Daisy (33). For the past two years, the family has been living in Sussex County, southeast England.