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The perception of Africa, whether in the U.S. or in Europe, is of a continent that needs help, and cannot pull itself up. That is just not true.

David Oyelowo

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David Oyelowo
Age: 48
Born: 1976
Born: April 1
Actor
Film Actor
Film Director
Film Producer
Stage Actor
Television Actor
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo
Helping
Continent
True
Continents
Cannot
Africa
Needs
Pull
Perception
Europe
Help
Whether

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Considering how pervasive interracial marriage is, certainly in American society, it is rare we get to see it depicted on film.
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I think that having a black president in America has been a seismic shift, in terms of what has been going on racially in America. I think that America is now engaging with how we have come to this point.
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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.
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At the end of the day, everyone knows what it is to be loved and to aspire to love someone, to want to be loved, the loss of love, or having their love be opposed, whether it is family, friends or politically.
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We're not served by only knowing our finest hours through film or media, or in the history that we are taught. I think the only way we have a chance to not make the same mistakes again, is to historically understand the bad behavior and mistakes we've made previously.
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Whether we like to admit it or not, as artists, we do project our own worldview on to what we do.
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One of the occupational hazards of being an actor, the reason why so many actors are insecure, is that the only way we know we're good is when other people tell us.
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I was sometimes called 'coconut' when I was at school.
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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.
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Martin Luther King was a voice to the voiceless, and he did that tirelessly, and his faith was the engine to that. But he was just a human being, at the end of the day.
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I have been in films before where people have been in a rush to label them as a Black film or even as a history lesson. These are ways to make the film feel niche and not for everyone.
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One of the things the BBC does better than anyone is period drama.
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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.
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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.
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I truly believe that one of the things that has been lacking in the USA is a spirit of repentance about the injustices of slavery and the injustices of segregation and racism generally.
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My parents are very hard working people who did everything they could for their children. I have two brothers and they worked dog hard to give us an education and provide us with the most comfortable life possible. My dad provided for his family daily. So, yes, that is definitely in my DNA.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I love tennis, love it!
David Oyelowo