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In the two-plus decades since his big screen debut at age 19 in Steven Spielberg s
Amistad, Chiwetel Ejiofor has carved out a successful and wide-ranging career. He s starred in more than 40 films, playing a variety of roles from a newlywed in
Love Actually, to a drag queen in
Kinky Boots, a sorcerer in
Doctor Strange and the lead in 2013 s
12 Years a Slave, for which he earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination. I ve always felt very fortunate with the work that I ve been able to do, Ejiofor, 43, tells PEOPLE in the latest issue. Always wanted to try a lot of different things, and to put on a lot of different kinds of costumes.