If you Google Nnamdi Asomugha, you’re just as likely to find information about his 11-year NFL career as you are details about his acting and producing credits. The former Eagle spent two underwhelming years in South Philly after nabbing a five-year, $60 million deal that Birds fans don’t need to be reminded of. “Dream Team” or not, the 39-year-old is carving out a well-earned niché in Hollywood.
Check out the trailer for Asomugha’s latest film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, as he stars opposite Tessa Thompson in Sylvie’s Love.
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Wow, what else can you say? The astonishment for me centers around that this isn’t a bit part where the former Eagle makes a cameo and drops a few lines — no sir. Asomugha is starring opposite Thompson (who Phily audiences know well as Michael B. Jordan’s love interest in Creed I & II), an established Hollywood name, and is carrying some scenes and helping drive the story.
The deal Asomugha signed with the Eagles was colored by his subpar play and reports of him creating a barrier between teammates way before social distancing by eating lunch in his car at the Novacare Complex. It’s a bitter pill for Eagles fans because Darius Slay is the first “lockdown corner” the Eagles have signed since the failed Asomugha experiment nearly a decade ago. It’s a familiar refrain in Philly sports where what you expect isn’t always what you get, i.e. Andrew Bynum, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jake Arrieta, etc.
Whether Asomugha had his sights focused more on Tinseltown than the NFL while donning Midnight Green is a question only he can answer. There’s no debating that his shelf life and health as an actor is much more sustainable than navigating NFL dogpiles every Sunday. And if you think Asomugha’s Christmas film is just a flash in the pan, he’s currently giving his all on Broadway in A Soldier’s Play opposite acting heavyweights David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood and Jerry O’Connell.