Nonso Anozie speaks with Indulge about his latest series Zoo, future projects and more

Known for his physically intense roles, Nonso Anozie will be seen as a safari guide, a bit more casual in his cargos and on hunting trails,  in his latest series Zoo. Playing the role of Abraham Kenyatta, he is involved in a mission with a team of five in their battle against animal attacks. The 38-year-old British actor is noted for his roles in films and series such as Xaro Xhoan Daxos in Game of Thrones, Artus in Conan the Barbarian (2011) and Captain of the Guards in Cinderella (2015). The American series Zoo, meanwhile, is an adaptation of James Patterson’s 2012 sci-fi novel of the same name.

Humans vs the wild                                         
“It’s a fantasy world. The team that I am a part of is on a mission to find a cure to stop the animal attacks from continuing into an apocalyptic event,” explains Nonso, sounding excited, over a telephone conversation. Human beings have taken away much of what belongs to the wild, he goes on to emphasise. “I appreciate diversity in animals,” says Nonso. “And the role that I play has prepared me in such a way that I can spot even a slight change or disturbance in animal behaviour,” he notes. 
Adding to the character sketch, what Nonso likes about the series is that every week on the show, there is a unique storyline and a different animal to contend with. So, there might be episodes of an encounter with a pack of wolves, or a run-in with jellyfish. What stands fresh in his memory, yet, is an emotional episode where he learns about his past life, says Nonso. 

Cultural compass
“My journey into Hollywood has been a struggle,” says the actor. He tells us that his goal is to perform culturally diverse roles and take up challenging scripts. Nonso believes that like him, other aspiring youngsters must watch their favourite movies and actors, be inspired and develop a taste for their own way of doing things. With his production company, Shadow Arts, he will be directing and writing more stage plays too. Nonso is also working on a musical film for 2018 that is expected to release this year. 

Zoo will air on AXN from February 8.