Uzo Aduba Talks with Stephen Colbert About Being a Track Star and Opera Singer at BU

Photo by John Paul Filo / CBS

Before she became a star on television, Uzo Aduba was a track star at Boston University.

The Orange Is the New Black actress stopped by the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night and chatted with the late-night host about her past as a collegiate athlete. As Colbert pointed out, Aduba still holds a record for sprinting at BU.

The Medfield native revealed that her track skills helped open up the door for her to pursue other passions, like singing and acting.

“I got to go to Boston University, fortunately enough, on a track scholarship,” Aduba said. “I did [do theater there], I was in the program. I was actually doing opera there.”

While she’s now known for her talent on screen, Aduba never really put her running shoes away for good. The Orange Is the New Black has ran the Boston Marathon as well as the New York City Marathon in the past.

Aduba credits her involvement with running for inspiring her to never give up on becoming an actress.

“I think playing sports… really prepared me for being out here to pursue this,” she said.

Check out more from Aduba’s chat with Colbert below.