Toby Onwumere Biography

Toby Onwumere born on 1st February, 1990, is an actor known for the role of Capheus on the second season of the Netflix original series Sense8.

Toby Onwumere Age

Born on 1st February, 1990, Toby is 29 years old as of 2019.

Toby Onwumere Brother

He has two brothers; Dean Onwumere and Dubem Onwumere .

Toby Girlfriend

Being a private person, Toby has managed to keep details of his love life off the limelight.

Toby Gay

He played the journalist character who happens to be gay in the TV Series Empire as Jamal Lyon’s love interest.

Toby Onwumere Ears

Toby Onwumere who plays capheus in S02 of Sense8 has the tiniest ears ever seen.

Toby Onwumere Where Is He From

He was born and brought up at Mansfield, Texas, United States.

Toby Onwumere Career

Onwumere made an appearance on stage with Santa Cruz Shakespeare where he played Macduff in Macbeth and Cleton in The Liar. He was also featured in the previous incarnation of the festival; Shakespeare Santa Cruz where he played in The Taming of the Shrew and Henry V.

Toby Onwumere Sense8

Onwumere took over the role of Capheus in season 1 of Sense8 replacing British actor Aml Ameen, who played the role originally.He made his debut as Capheus on the December 2016 Christmas special of Sense8.

Toby Onwumere And Jussie Smollett

He was cast in season 5 on the role of Kai, Jamal’s(Jussie Smollet) Love interest in the series Empire.

Toby Onwumere Instagram

Toby Onwumere Twitter

Tweets by toby_onwumere

Toby Onwumere Interview

‘Empire’ Star Toby Onwumere Explains Why Playing An HIV-Positive Man On TV Is So Important

Source: essence.com

ESSENCE: Why did you fall in love with acting?

Toby Onwumere: When I see a good performance or I see an amazing story, it makes me question myself and do introspective thinking. Whenever I watch a really great movie…I ask myself, what would I do in that situation? I feel like it opens up more empathy within me whenever I see really touching stories.

On Empire, your character, Kai, is a reporter, who’s in this relationship with Jamal. He also has HIV. Did you have any trepidation as a straight man taking on this role?

Toby: Absolutely not. I was excited to take on [the role]. There was no hesitation at all about it. I’m always looking [for] more variety and Kai’s not a stereotype. He’s not a character who feels sorry for himself. The fact that he has HIV is a facet of his life; it’s not the totality of it. He still has strength and he still has…pride about himself regardless of him having HIV.

We don’t see a lot of characters onscreen who have HIV, who are not tragic.

Toby: Exactly. Every time I see a character with HIV or some type of ailment, it’s in some terminal fashion, you know? And I really liked that Kai isn’t living his life in this sullen way. There is still a lot of joy in his life. And I liked [the role] because it helps change the narrative of what people see.

When HIV was first introduced into the mainstream culture, it was labeled as the disenfranchised disease, the gay disease, the homosexual disease — not knowing that anybody can get it. But now, with the advancement in healthcare and technology, people have very robust, healthy, long lives with it. You’re liable to die quicker — as Kai says in the show — with type two diabetes than with HIV.

So I feel like some of the stigma that people still have about [HIV] might be just misinformed, or they have an outdated mindset of the disease, and we’re helping to reeducate people on the matter.

You’re still pretty new to the business. You just got out of school a couple years ago and landed Sense 8 and now Empire. What is some of the advice you’ve picked up in the past couple of years as you’ve journeyed through this business?

Toby: This whole thing is a marathon and not a sprint. So do not get discouraged if things do not happen in the timeline that you had envisioned them. Or if it does happen in the timeline you envision, just be ready for all that.

And everything costs something. In life, and obviously in this profession, if you want to be exactly what you want to be, it costs something. It might take you away from your loved ones because you have to travel and they have to stay at home and you have to work.

Another piece of advice is whether it’s a triumph or a failure, everything can be used as a tool for growth.

Who are some of your inspirations?

Toby: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Jackson, jazz and house music. Lana Wachowski — even before I started Sense 8, me watching The Matrix kind of just opened everything up and her becoming a really great friend and mentor of mine has been fantastic. My parents. I said Michael Jackson, right? Underline, just for emphasis. (Editor’s Note: You got it, Toby!) And sugar cookies have really been inspirational in my life.

The actual cookies?

Toby: Yeah. It’s a reward system in my mind. I do well, I can go out and get a sugar cookie.

Christmas must be your time of year then.

Toby: I think you understand what my life is about.

I imagine this Christmas will be pretty dope. You’re on a hit TV show and can get all the sugar cookies you want.

Toby: Look, I might just have a whole suitcase of sugar cookies. I might distribute them, I might eat them all, but they will be on deck. They will definitely be on deck.