41 Quotes by Stephan James

Growing up, I was always into sports - basketball and volleyball - but I wasn't really a runner.

I've had some experience in track and field in school, but I did have to train to be able to play Jesse Owens - to be a runner, to be an Olympian.

While shooting 'Selma,' I would train on my off time with the assistant men's track and field coach at Georgia Tech.

When I first got the call from my manager asking if I'd ever heard of Jesse Owens, I recognized the name, looked him up, and was blown away by his story.

I want to be a superhero, I want to be Spider-Man or Batman. Will you let me know if you have any connections? Let's make it happen.

That was my goal in portraying Jesse Owens: bringing that level of humanity so people could understand who he was as a person.

Jesse Owens had to be a very strong person. There were a lot of protests, but I think that he knew, despite the pressure on both sides, the pressure to go and the pressure not to go, he had to do it for himself. Unknowingly, he changed the world and broke so many barriers by doing so, by being a leader.

John Lewis is such a remarkable human being. Literally, such a beautiful human being. I remember the first time I met him. We were in the middle of a scene and [Selma director] Ava DuVernay calls, "Cut," and then he literally just came in. He just came walking in.I just froze. I can't explain the feeling. Seeing somebody who was literally a living hero. He was a hero.

You have such a big responsibility. This person is still alive. You would think that they think highly of themselves and their accomplishments and what they've done. You can only hope to bring justice to that.