Uzo Adubadrew inspiration from the real-life death of her mother, Nonyem, while working on her HBO series,In Treatment.

“It’s never easy to lose anyone. It’s certainly not easy to hold proximity to a loss when your character is experiencing a similar loss,” the actress, 40, said.

“I thank HBO a thousand times for giving the space that was needed to help start that process. I think that it’s challenging, but what I know is that it was also deeply healing at the same time,” she continued. “I’m really grateful to have been working on this project when I was working on this project, because what I didn’t know was that it was helping me work through my own.”

Uzo Aduba.Suzanne Tenner/HBO

Uzo Aduba

Last month, theOrange Is the New Blackalum announced that her mother died in November after battling cancer. Ina Twitter tributeposted on Nonyem’s birthday, Aduba wrote: “She was and remains my hero; I am proud to know that it’s her blood running through my veins. Today is her birthday. I miss her. So much. It’s taken me this long to even know how to begin to share just how remarkable a woman, a mother she was. Mommy, I love and miss you every day. Happy Heavenly Birthday.”

The month before her mother’s death, Adubawas castin the lead role for the fourth season ofIn Treatment— a series that’s marking its return to the small screen following a decade-long hiatus. The star’s character, Dr. Brooke Taylor, is a therapist who is grappling with the loss of someone close to her.

Rindoff Petroff/Suu/Getty

Uzo Aduba

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“Every single person was top-notch, every person. Every single person arrived with their A-game and it made it exciting,” she said. “You wanted to deliver, you just wanted to.”

TheMrs. Americaactress also explained that the “challenge” of the role is something that she found very intriguing. “As hard as the show as it was to work on because it’s just two people talking, I really started to enjoy the butterflies and the nervousness,” she said.

“You get that stage fright, but then when you make it to the other side and the curtain comes up, you’re all excited—you and your cast,” she continued. “I started to feel really excited.”

Season 4 ofIn Treatmentpremieres Sunday on HBO.

source: people.com