by josie
In “Zero Hour,” Carmen Ejogo plays an FBI agent trying to unravel a complex mystery that spans the globe and centuries.
I love a good twisty mystery, so I was intrigued by the first episode of Zero Hour, premiering Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. EDT/PT. The new ABC series mixes conspiracy theories, treasure maps, terrorists, Nazis, Rosicrucians and abduction in a plot that will appeal to fans of The DaVinci Code and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Anthony Edwards (ER), as the publisher of Modern Skeptic magazine, finds himself in the thick of it when his wife (Jacinda Barrett) is snatched after finding an antique clock containing a treasure map. Helping him is Carmen Ejogo (Alex Cross, Pride and Glory, Sally Hemings: An American Scandal), playing no-nonsense FBI agent Rebecca Riley.
“I love playing strong, kickass women and I particularly love to play women that appear one way to the world but have an inner life that’s very different,” says Ejogo. “That’s been consistent in a lot of the roles I’ve played and is certainly the case here.”
She notes that women over 35 have more opportunities on TV these days. “I don’t know whether or not this kind of role would have been something I’d been offered 10 years ago,” she says. “I do think we’ve made leaps and bounds in that way for sure. It would be nice to see a lot more diversity in representation of women on screen, and that includes age. But [in Zero Hour], Jacinda and I are hovering around the same age and we’ve been given some of the best roles of our careers.”
Of half African and half Scottish descent, Ejogo now lives in Brooklyn — the series based in New York — but was born and raised in London. “I got to grow up there at its cultural height in terms of music and pop culture,” she says. “I lived not far from King’s Road when punk was emerging and I was there at exactly the right time. It has definitely informed my fashion, my style, my sensibility and my outlook on life.”
Ejogo turns 40 next year and feels great about the milestone. “I embrace it. I’m all about not letting people tell you who you should and shouldn’t be at any given age,” she says. She attributes her good looks to “Nigerian cheekbones” and a healthy attitude. “I live moderately; I’m not an extremist in my diet or health at all,” she says. “I don’t believe when you hit a certain age you have to act a certain age. You can set your own criteria.”
These days Ejogo, who is married to actor Jeffrey Wright and is the mother of two children, ages 7 and 11, isn’t vegetarian but is choosing and preparing meatless meals more often. “I’m trying to cut down on meat consumption,” she says. “I’m reducing daily.”
Photo credit: Bob D’Amico/ABC
