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David Oyelowo

David Oyelowo Quotes

Actor

David Oyelowo is a British actor born on April 1, 1976. He is known for his outstanding performances in various film and television projects, including 'Lincoln', '12 Years a Slave', and 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'. Oyelowo is highly regarded for his deep acting skills and diverse role choices.

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All Thinking Actors People Black Film Ifs Knows Has Beens Want Way

Famous David Oyelowo Quotes

“I think the notion that we are different just because of skin color, and that we should be kept apart or kept from interbreeding, is very hurtful.”

Thinking Should Different Color Skins Notion Hurtful Skin Color

Author:David Oyelowo

“I'm very aware that people find my wife and I's marriage disagreeable. But all I have to do is look at my four kids, and the love I have in my heart for my wife after 18 years of marriage, and the ugliness does fade.”

People Years Looks Heart Doe Kids Four Wife My Heart My Wife Fades Ugliness Disagreeable Years Of Marriage

Author:David Oyelowo

“To break down prejudice is to get to a place of understanding, that can erode the ignorance.”

Understanding Break Ignorance Prejudice Breaking Down Erode

Author:David Oyelowo

“The thing that would probably surprise most people was that Dr. Martin Luther King was a very reluctant leader. He felt very shocked at times that he had been chosen for this path, but he also understood that he was chosen for this path. He had several moments of acute doubt as to if he was up for the task - when people were injured in the protests he took it very personally, let alone when they were killed.”

People Ifs Moments Felt Leader Path Doubt Kings Understood Tasks Surprise Chosen Protest Drs Shocked Luther Injured Reluctant Dr Martin Luther King

Author:David Oyelowo

“Dr. Martin Luther King was never a man to say 'I've got this' as the leader of the movement. He wasn't always sure that his decisions were correct, because he knew every decision he made was putting lives at risk, including his and his family's lives.”

Men Made Decision Leader Risk Movement Kings Including Drs Luther Dr Martin Luther King

Author:David Oyelowo

“The wonderful situation that I find myself in now, is that choosing the roles I want is more of a reality for me. As a result, I take it very seriously, because I find this opportunity in film to be a very powerful and influential medium.”

Want Reality Film Opportunity Results Powerful Situation Roles Wonderful Mediums Influential Very Powerful

Author:David Oyelowo

“My ambition is to keep the audience guessing... that is my path to a long career.”

Long Careers Audience Path Ambition My Ambition Guessing Long Careers

Author:David Oyelowo

“Female directors, directors of color are a big thing for me, which are both important voices and potent voices that need to be heard. That's how I want to engage myself as an actor going forward.”

Want Needs Important Bigs Actors Voice Heard Color Directors Female Big Things

Author:David Oyelowo

“In what I do for a living, trust and confidence are key. Inevitably, you can't make brave choices and do your best work, if you don't have those, because it's such a subjective art form, and you don't have eyes on yourself.”

Ifs Art Eye Form Choices Keys Brave Subjective Best Work

Author:David Oyelowo

“I'm very aware of how much movies, literature and art affect culture. They are a reflection of the world around us and they are also a means by which we engage with the world around us.”

World Mean Art Culture Literature Reflection

Author:David Oyelowo

“I gravitate towards anything that feels challenging to me, that feels like it's gonna be saying something a bit different and new to the audience, and anything that moves me. I do movies that I would want to see, so I don't necessarily gravitate towards any genre in particular. I just try and do the best work I can and also try to keep the audience guessing.”

Trying Different Moving Challenges Audience

Author:David Oyelowo

“I never, ever do a film and just kind of move on. I think of them as children of mine, and you don't give birth to a baby and just leave it on someone else's doorstep. You see it all the way through college.”

Thinking Giving Kind Children Film Moving College Baby Birth

Author:David Oyelowo

“Getting to do what I think was my fifth BBC drama with Nikki Amuka-Bird - we've done 'Shoot The Messenger,' 'Five Days,' 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,' 'Born Equal' and now 'Small Island' - was another highlight for me. And filming in Jamaica was great, too.”

Thinking Done Born Five Drama Equal Bird Islands Agency Fifth Detectives Messengers Highlights Jamaica

Author:David Oyelowo

“I would make the tea on a Daniel Day-Lewis set just to observe how he crafts roles like he did in 'My Left Foot.' That was the equivalent of seeing Haley's Comet for me. I just couldn't understand how that was possible.”

Left Roles Seeing Feet Crafts Tea Comets Haley Daniel Day Lewis

Author:David Oyelowo

“I hear God as an audible voice.”

Author:David Oyelowo

“It's fascinating to work with a company of actors of such different ages, experience and talents. I'm one of a generation brought up on television whose acting is more 'naturalistic', whereas with some of the older generation it's more heightened. But I think there's room for both styles.”

Thinking Different Age Actors Rooms Acting Company Generations Talent Style Television Fascinating Older Generation Different Ages

Author:David Oyelowo

“One of the things I have an allergic reaction to playing, especially as a black actor, is the mandatory kind of best friend/cop/detective type. You will never see me in that movie.”

Kind Actors Black Friendship Type Reactions Cop Detectives Allergic Allergic Reactions

Author:David Oyelowo

“You can’t have people curating culture in this way when we need to see things in order to reform from them.”

People Way Needs Order Culture Reform

Author:David Oyelowo

“Excellence is the best weapon against prejudice.”

Weapons Prejudice Excellence

Author:David Oyelowo

“I think until Britain acknowledges just how much of a presence black people had here before the Sixties, then there are certain stories that are not going to be inclusive of what I have to offer.”

People Thinking Stories Certain Black Offers Acknowledge Britain Black People Sixty

Author:David Oyelowo

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

Past Can Do Deny Our Past Empowered

Author:David Oyelowo

“I have a bee in my bonnet as to how few black historical figures one sees on film; incredible stories, stories from which we are living the legacy and which just don't get made.”

Made Stories Film Black Figures Historical Incredibles Legacy Bees Bonnets Historical Figure

Author:David Oyelowo

“I turned down a lot of easier opportunities in order to go for the things that I really and ultimately wanted to do. And what's really nice is that it's starting to work. I've been an actor for coming up on 14 years now and the level of activity that's taking place now is a culmination of a slow cooker approach to as opposed to a microwave.”

Years Wanted Order Actors Opportunity Levels Nice Easier Activity Approach Starting Really Nice Turned Down Culmination Microwaves Cookers

Author:David Oyelowo

“I seem to be able to disassociate my insecurities. I know a lot of actors - some of the best actors in the world - can't bear to watch themselves and I have to say I can't relate to that.”

Knows World I Can Seems Able Actors Watches Bears Relate Insecurity

Author:David Oyelowo

“Because I was aspirational, I did my work, I was respectful to my teachers, I experienced a lot of bullying from the black kids. My friends were largely white or Asian.”

Kids Black White Teacher My Friends Bullying Asian Respectful

Author:David Oyelowo

“I was sometimes called 'coconut' when I was at school.”

Sometimes School Coconuts

Author:David Oyelowo

“Asher means 'happy and blessed' which embodies my eldest. Caleb means 'stubborn and tenacious dog' and I can't even tell you how much that is my little boy! It was a useful warning.”

Mean Littles I Can Boys Dog Blessed Warning Stubborn Little Boys Tenacious Eldest Caleb

Author:David Oyelowo

“Considering that I'm British and I talk the way I do, I love it when a director takes a chance on me.”

Way Chance Directors British Considering Take A Chance

Author:David Oyelowo

“I love that as a black person I've experienced not being a minority. I think that's helped me to combat the minority mentality people can have here, which can stop them scaling the heights.”

People Thinking Persons Black Height Minorities Combat Mentality Black Person

Author:David Oyelowo

About the Author

Born: April 1, 1976
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 79

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