INTERVIEW
Madison Drew | 01/04/2025
In the lead-up to the premiere of her next feature-length film, London-born actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson divulges her distinctive journey into acting. From her early days leading as Annie in her high school musical in Washington D.C. to filming in New Zealand in the inclusive and fantastical world of The Lord of the Rings, she is now finding herself back on set with Ben Affleck and J.K. Simmons for The Accountant 2.
A: Let's talk about growing up and the influences that led to acting. You were born in London, and then you moved to the US, I want to say Washington, when you were five or six?
C: Washington, DC area, around four [years old], so obviously, my accent is wholly gone unless I need it for work!
It's interesting not to have as strong of a memory of it. It's hard to think back to being a toddler. Of course, I have only the faintest memory of being in London from a young age before growing up outside Washington, DC. I led what I'd consider a regular suburban upbringing and found my way into acting as an outlier in my family. I don't come from a household of art artists or artistic people. My mother was really into fashion, and it's interesting because I always remember when I got a little bit older and realised that my mom actually had a path to it. She used to sew, and she would sew outfits for my dolls. She was really into textiles, which could have been her outlet if life had led her down that path. But she was a nurse when I was growing up, and then she owned a business selling children's clothing. So, I grew up in a family business, and acting for me was something I found my voice in. It starts with those modern school plays that people tend to do when they're in elementary school and up to high school, where it was just something outside of my academic part of school that I really felt a growing sense of confidence around and almost permission to be bigger and bolder on a stage than I felt like I could be in my day- to- day life, which is probably still valid. So, I'm fortunate and thankful that I was encouraged by my mother and encouraged by teachers that it felt like a viable path that I could take because I know that's not always the case. Not everybody is thrilled when their child says they want to be an actor. So, it took some convincing, but luckily, I had the support.
A: Did going into acting at a young age help you find your identity?
C: I was very fortunate. And I always think about this in hindsight, growing up outside of Washington, D.C. It's a cultural melting pot. So, I went to a huge high school with kids from different backgrounds, walks of life, ethnicities, religions, and languages, and that was my baseline. That was normal to me, and the school productions that we would put on, you know, would always be this colourblind, open, access to all. In my second year of high school, I got the lead, which was a big deal when I was 14. And hilariously, I played Annie in the High School Musical, which now, in hindsight, you know, was progressive when it wasn't necessarily something they were trying to do. It was like, Yeah, this student will play Annie. And it wasn't; it didn't have a heavyweight. It just was what it was because that was the nature of my school. And so, I think back on that and how amazing that was when it essentially felt like, 'Oh, the opportunities are endless and boundless and very much open to me for whatever I want to play.' It's nice to carry that into my professional acting life, where I would always want to feel like what I guess they now call leading character energy. You want to be the main character of your world and your story, not permanently be sidelined or just viewed as somebody that just supports. I benefitted from the culture where I grew up, at my particular school, where the encouragement was, 'Yeah, you can play whatever role you want to play.' You're not limited by things in the way that the world can sometimes limit us in our real lives and even in the industry. So, that was vital for me to experience as a student, and I still carry it with me to this day.
A: I love that your school pushed for that and encouraged you. I think it's terrific.
C: I mean, again, I have such appreciation for it. I don't know what a typical teen or high school student experiences now. I know it varies wildly, but I'm a massive advocate for arts and arts education as early as possible and as often as possible, even if it's not something you pursue professionally. I think that way it can give you an outlet to put all your thoughts and feelings, but just that sense of confidence and surprising yourself and learning about yourself. And the beauty of being an actor is like that, which gets to continue.
For me, I'm still learning all the time. I'm still observing, and I'm still inhabiting a character. Within that character, I'm learning a little bit about human nature and people's psychology. Why do we do the things we do, and why do we sometimes do things that feel like the opposite of what we should be doing? It's endlessly fascinating.
Dress, Charles. Shoes, Jesscia. Jewelru, Melinda & RonrichMaria
A: Are you drawn to playing different roles and experiencing new things, or do you look for familiar things?
C: Definitely for me, both for acting and in general. They say variety is the spice of life. I like to get used to the state of the unknown and not knowing what comes next all the time. That can be intimidating and scary. It can also be exciting, and interestingly, I would love to say that I get to pick and choose these roles, but the reality is that these roles have often come to me, and they've come to me, usually in a way that feels entirely destined, like I'm meant to play this character at this moment in time, at this moment in my life. That's been a beautiful gift because it's never really my choice. It's always like the day before the role comes to me, somehow; I maybe can't even anticipate what that next job is going to be, what that next project is going to be, and then you wake up one morning and check your email or get a phone call, and it could be a job that changes your life and introduces you to lifelong friends and collaborators. And so, when I think back on things, every time I think about what was happening the day before I got that call or that I noticed without that project, I wouldn't have been able to imagine some of the things that I've gotten to do and some of the places that I've gotten to work and the people that I've gotten to meet. So, I love that. The most exciting thing for me is the unpredictability of it all.
A: You recently returned to your character Marybeth for The Accountant 2. Was there some joy in getting to reprise here and build more to the role you'd already built?
C: Without a doubt. I didn't know when I would get to reprise the character when I finished the first movie, which was going on nine years ago. When I finished the film, I was excited even to have the opportunity to do the first one. I remember working with JK Simmons and just being like, 'Wow, I can't believe that I'm sort of working opposite this person.' It was right before he won THE Oscar, and it raises your own game because you want to make sure you can be at the level and feel like I'm meant to be here. I had hoped that I would get to do this again. I was never really in the loop when they were trying to develop it and make the second one. It took them many years, and there were many start-and-stop attempts. I would have an interesting part in coming back. I finally get to work with Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, who I didn't get to work with in the first movie!' It felt like evolving as a person and an actor. Now I get to show that evolution within this character of Marybeth Medina because, hopefully, she, too, has evolved in these nine years.
A: The stakes for this instalment look very high. Do you feel that high-octane rush when you're filming it?
C: I have a dual experience with it. Because on the one hand, you know, from the outside looking in, you're a fan. You're excited just about who you're getting to work with, just to be back to work because this was right after the writers and actors strikes, we had in Los Angeles. So, I was excited to be on a set again. But then, within the production, I have to get into a headspace of a character and be really focused, so the adrenaline kicks in because you're really present and working in real-time. But it was something that I really savoured as we filmed because as soon as it was over, I just thought, 'Oh my gosh. I felt like I was getting into my rhythm. I was starting, so I was very sad when we wrapped up. But in terms of it being high- octane, what I love about this sequel and what I especially love about working with our director, David O'Connor, is that he satisfies all the things you want out of a movie-going experience. It has the action and high stakes; it does everything, and it is bigger than the first movie. Yet, within that, there are a lot of nuances and moments of character development. Thematically, it focuses on this relationship between the two brothers.
But for my character, Marybeth, it's really about her journey of working within the rule of law versus trying to get to the heart of a case and using every tool in your toolbox to be on the right side of justice. There are also quieter moments and a lot of comedy in this sequel, which I loved because I feel like I'm always playing these earnest characters. I'm a ridiculous person in my real life, and it's nice to have humour help propel things forward. So, there's humour, there's action, and there's definitely moments of emotion.
Dress, Gert - Johan. Shoes, Jonak. Jewellery, Frourork Coetzee.
Dress, Gert-Johancoetzee. Shoes, Jonak. Jewellery, Melinda Maria.
A: The film also includes Ben Affleck portraying a character with autism in accountancy right at the forefront of the story, which is nice to see inclusion and representation for the role in Hollywood.
C: I think even the way that we all discuss and understand neurodivergence, to really use a broad umbrella term, you know, it's so nuanced. And I love that, instead of viewing it as this limitation, which historically, that's been the view, this is the superpower. This is its heightened cinematic version, but it's viewed as a superpower. It's viewed as a strength. It's considered as somebody whose human mind is like a supercomputer. It is so much further ahead, and we view things in such an abstract way that most of us have limitations on how we use our minds and try to understand or decipher things. I love how that's depicted. It's really done in a very mindful, purposeful way. And again, that's a testament to the writer, Bill Dubuque, and the producers who made sure that when it came time for casting, they really made sure that they gave that an authenticity and really did their homework so that it isn't just kind of this element of the story. It's really getting the cast involved and demonstrating on the set that, 'Hey, we've got a cast of actors of all different varieties of neurodivergence, and we're showing you, the audience, how this is our superpower.' So, I love it.
A: It is also lovely to see how diversity has been welcomed and celebrated in The Rings of Power, the Lord of the Rings series.
C: We're now so much more global than ever. We have always been interconnected, but when it comes to storytelling, we should be able to reflect on the world as it exists. We still have a long way to go, and all these attempts claw things back. Still, as a viewer, I want to feel like I get to see the variety reflected on the screen that I live within in my regular life, and it just makes things more compelling and engaging. People want to see themselves reflected in all aspects. So, I'm very proud to be that personified. I certainly don't want us to go backwards.
A: Seeing how far you've come from playing Annie in High School, what do you wish you could say to your younger self right now?
C: Sometimes I still am my younger self, in some aspects, like life is just like a continuation of high school. And sometimes, that doesn't feel like it's that far away. And then other times it's like, 'Oh, that was that feels like a lifetime ago, a whole other era.' It's about finding patience because we often want things to happen sooner and faster than they actually do. You have to trust in the timing. We tend to be our own harshest critics, and I certainly am. There's a difference between striving for something, being ambitious and being unnecessarily complex on yourself to no end. I think pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is vital for growth. But it's about being balanced. I've improved with that, but there's always room for improvement. I would hug my younger self and tell her, “You know what you're doing.”
A: Lastly, what brings you joy?
C: Anyone who knows me well knows that the thing that brings me joy is travelling.
I'm like a travel fiend. It's been interesting because I've had more time at home recently, which has been good for me. Sometimes, it's also good to take a beat, be home, and be in one place and not feel like you're running here and there. But my recharge and my reset, especially if I've been filming for an extended period or if there's just a lot of stuff happening, is to find a place where I can immerse myself in a culture and remember that it's a vast world.
The Accountant 2 is in cinemas from 25th April.
Photographer Dylan Perlot @dylanperlot
Styling Veta Adrion @vetaadrion
Hair Kacey Klos @kaceyklos
MUA Ashley Simmons @makeupbyashsimmons
HATC Alice Gee @alicesgee
Jill Fritzo Public Relations @jillfritzopr
Dress and Shoes, Atana. Jewellery, Melinda. Trench, Gasanova.
