Life is a gift! But would
you want to know what happens after
death? Would you read up on it?
Would you watch a movie or a series
about it? Better still would you want
to act a series regarding “life after
death”?
Was it easy conquering
the Hollywood scene and
landing impressive roles?
“People who think that it is easy have
it twisted. It is as hard as anything in
life is hard. Acting is an industry where
you are rejected as the norm! You get
99 Nos before that yes! But the belief
I had in myself is what kept me going”
Eddie says.
“
Well, the answers to these questions
range across the spectrum depending
on personalities. Moreover,
few people have had the
privilege to star in a series
that seeks to demystify
what happens after death!
Fortunately, thanks to Edi
Gathegi, Kenya is well-
represented in the American
drama television series
Proof that aired on TNT and
continues to stir debates
across the world.
“I was born in Umoja, lived there for
the first 3 years of my life and then
my father went to the States to get
a degree. It was one of those things
where he was supposed to come back,
but he had a thirst for knowledge, so
he got his second degree, his third,
and we continued living there” Edi
explains.
So how many times had he travelled
back to Kenya since
the relocation and was
he familiar with the
neighborhoods back in
Kenya?
I was born in Umoja,
lived there for the first
3 years of my life and then
my father went to the States
to get a degree. It was one
of those things where he was
supposed to come back, but
he had a thirst for knowledge,
so he got his second
degree, his third, and we
continued living there.
However, that is one of the
many outstanding series Edi
has featured in. His other
outstanding roles include;
Twilight, its sequel The
Twilight Saga: New Moon,
X Men: First Class House, Gone Baby
Gone and most recently Blacklist
Season 3 where he is a member of The
Cabal, a secret black ops group. In
the Hollywood scene, that is quite the
repertoire and this Kenyan born actor
who has done well to build a brand in
the Hollywood acting scene.
“I came back at 16 and it
was the first time I had been
back since I left. Of course,
I could recognise a few of
my childhood friends, a
bit of the neighbourhood
and it was weird because
I could also remember the
lake in Uhuru Park” The star
adds, affirming that he also
remembers some Kiswahili.
”
Kenyan to the core, Edi was born in
Nairobi’s Umoja estate on March 10,
1979 into a family of five. Back then he
was an ordinary Kenyan boy, but his
life soon transformed when his family
relocated to California in the United
Stat es. Here, he got the exposure to
international education systems and
the chance to attend University of
California.
Considering his Kenyan
roots and an outstanding Kenyan
name, what is the reaction when he
goes for auditions or when fans meet
him on the street?
“In the States, whenever I meet
someone on the streets that knows my
name, they butcher it. Here, people
know Edi Githegi, the real Kenyan
name and pronunciation. I find that
F i l a m u K e n y a PA G E 21 n o w p l a y i n g