127 Quotes by David Oyelowo

I was sometimes called ‘coconut’ when I was at school.

If you merely focus on what we already know, then it’s not revelatory. You may as well just go and watch a documentary or a few videos on Youtube, and you’re good.

I feel television is in a fantastically rich vein of what it’s presenting both by opportunity to actors and to audiences.

I know for a fact the reason I’m an actor is because one, two, maybe three people when I was younger saw something that I did, in youth theater or some small play somewhere, and said, “You’re good.”

That’s what’s so satisfying about acting. You can come as prepared as you like, but there’s no accounting for what’s going to come at you from the other actor. That’s part of the joy and the play of it. If you don’t have that it’s a different kind of performance.

You’re always looking for roles and other creatives who are going to be challenging to you, because you’re always a better actor after the experience.

I think it’s vital to have something outside your acting to keep you rooted in the real world, and help you fill the vacuum. If you have nothing else, it can be unhealthy. For me being a Christian has been invaluable: it simply means acting isn’t the centre of my life.

There’s a nimble quality to the way a television actor can work. When that muscle gets strong it’s a very valuable thing.

We can’t afford to deny our past in a bid to be empowered. But what we can do is contextualize the past.