April 26, (THEWILL) – Chiwetel Ejiofor has admitted the death of his father has had a “profound effect” on how he lives his life.
The Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star and his dad, Arinze, were in Nigeria for a wedding when he was 11 years old, but tragedy struck when their car hit a truck, leaving the actor as the only survivor.
Chiwetel admits he will always live with the grief of losing his father when he was so young.
He said: “Grief is something you live with forever in different ways, when you lose a parent young, it has a profound effect on the way you view life.
“At an early age you realise the value of some things and the preciousness of life itself, which is something most people acquire later on.
“Certain fears or neuroses you definitely carry. Some are justified, but you do lose a lot of ideas about knowledge.
“I don’t know if it was due to my father passing away, but I have gaps in my knowledge that I have to acquire for myself as I go through the journey of life.”
The 44-year-old star admitted the loss of his dad has sparked some “neurosis” that has grown to shape his decision-making processes, though he’s been able to “break” some of the worries he’d developed.
He added in an interview with the May issue of Britain’s GQ magazine: “I think neurosis is a more creative space [than confidence] but it can be paralysing.
“Those little fears you pick up along the way grow into such major branches of your personality, and they define the ways you approach things.
“But such fears are just an illusion you’re creating. I have been lucky enough to break some of the fears I had – and when you do, you recognise your genuine path and personality in a richer, deeper way.”
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