Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Quotes

Certainly, I look for different characters 'cause I always like to keep people guessing, and I also don't like to get typecast.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I'm very much the type of actor that once I embody the character, I could stay in it from the beginning to the end.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

When you're a large black man in Hollywood, the obvious stereotype is one of force and menace.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I think that what 'Oz' did is it spawned a great generation of television production. But people know its place in television and just in great dramas. It's the foundation of my career. Most producers, show runners, directors, and casting directors put me in movies based on my performance in that show.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Those films that really speak to the primal fear that we, as human beings, have about the unknown have always intrigued me. That's the really scary thing, not the slasher, macabre movies. It's the ones that deal with the inner fear: the unknown realms and the mysticisms that are scary.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I'm just looking to explore every medium to express my talent, but I think mostly it's going to be a focus on features.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I've been a huge fan of Quvenzhane Wallis since 'Beasts of the Southern Wild.' To me, she's our Shirley Temple, a phenomenal talent, and I wanted to work with her as soon as I saw that movie.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

To play these twisted, tormented characters is very draining. You have to sit in the pocket of that character for the duration of the shoot, which is normally an average of three months, and that can be taxing!

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I remember when I first came to America, nobody had a clue what a black Englishman was. I was either South African or Australian to them.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I don't really discriminate with my art. To me, it's my art, and it's to be expressed through whichever medium is there, whether it's treading the boards in the theater, on the small-screen TV, or on the large screen. I love theater, and it's definitely something I would love to do.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

People haven't seen me in a comedic setting, but that's who I really am.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I don't really look at genre. I mean, sometimes you might be playing heavies a lot, and you're like, 'Hey, it'd be nice to do a romantic comedy.'

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Well, filming in Hawaii, you know, is a blessing. It's one of the most beautiful places on this planet. It has a very mystic energy which informs you as an actor.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

By the time I was 16, I was someone to reckon with. I was so eager to repudiate any connection with any immigrant race, I would go above and beyond. I was desperate to belong to something. That was my drive as a teenager.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

You really have to act your pants off to stay alive. I thrive on that; I rise to the occasion of the circumstances.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Wale means to arrive home. So the crown has arrived home. Akin is warrior or brave man. Nuoye is a brave man of chieftaincy and Agbaje means wealth and prosperity.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I've played different nationalities, and everything from vulnerable to strong to crooked to demented. It just increases your possibilities of work because, if people know you can do just about anything, then you're going to get more offers. That's what I want to do.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I'm of Nigerian descent, from the Yoruba tribe. Names are very significant in that culture. It basically states your purpose in life.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Multifaceted and textured characters are always more intriguing to me. You never really just want to play one note. It becomes a bit monotone and boring.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

With any character I do, I do my due diligence with research.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I've played many criminals, but I loved playing somebody on the right side of the law who had a family and who had ethics.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

As an actor, you really want to resonate with your audience.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

David Ayer is known for being a very serious filmmaker, but he has a very great sense of humor.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I just want to keep the diversity and the options open. In terms of what I'm looking for, I'd like to do a lead action role.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I grew up watching 'Rambo' and 'Rocky' and all of those movies, so you have a surreal moment, even as an actor, when you're in front of these guys, whether it's DeNiro or Stallone. You have a moment like, 'Geez, that's Sylvester Stallone,' and then you have to snap out of it and get back in the pocket of the character.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

What I like about the Carpenter take on 'The Thing' is the fact that it just has so much suspense. It seemed like a different story, with the horror elements.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I think the most appealing characters for the audience are the ones that you never know whether to root for them or whether to hate them. That's what keeps people drawn to their television sets.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Grassroots projects are what keep you alive as an actor.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

When a child wants to be accepted, he'll do anything. And if it means you're getting a certain amount of notoriety from a fight, that's what you'll do.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

My father was a lorry driver, very rarely at home. The house was run by my mother, and because there were 10 or so kids, there was no time for individual attention. It was about survival. It was about where the next meal was coming from.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

It's wonderful to do these great blockbusters and bigger pictures, but my heart is always with true stories.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Also, I'd like to play an athlete again, while I'm still physically fit, or a musician, like Nat King Cole, because I play the trumpet and sing. I'd like to incorporate that into a character.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

What is a shame is that there isn't stuff that is as great as 'Oz' on a consistent level around today.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I wanted to wash off the experience of Africa but obviously I couldn't because that's who I was.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

The practice of pumping up before the scene, especially if you've got your shirt off, most actors will do that.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

As an actor, you just like to be able to play as much range. I just want to be invisible. I want to be able to be perceived as an artist as opposed to 'a black actor': that's the joy.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I was always led to believe you should take care of yourself, trust in your abilities and you're the author of your own destiny.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Personally, I love Toronto.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

I've never been really great at trusting anybody, just because of the way I grew up.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

The only way I know how to deliver is to focus; some people can turn it on or off - I'd rather stay in character.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

It's a significant question: should black people only adopt black children, and white people white children?

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

The only way you can influence your fate is to put your soul into your performance and hope it registers with the audience.

- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje