Gugu Mbatha-Raw Quotes

Don't worry about society's conditioning and the labels that are put on you by external forces. Hold onto your true self.

I try not to define myself. Other people are going to do that for you anyway.

As a biracial girl growing up in England, I'd never really seen any historical characters who looked like me depicted on film before that weren't being brutalized or playing slaves.

I try to define myself through my own choices rather than just accepting society's kind of you're that, you're that, let me put you in a box kind of thing.

I was lucky that my mother had a very well-adjusted perspective of the world, and never pressured me to do anything I didn't want to do.

I think, irrespective of your race, everybody has moments in life where they don't fit in, or where they try to puzzle through who they really are or to find the courage of their convictions.

But when you become a slave to a public persona and don’t feel comfortable without it, it becomes a shield and it shouldn’t come at the expense of your self-worth.

From the age of four, I loved ballet and tap. I was in the school band, the choir, and all my school plays.

Different fragrances promote different emotions, and I find that fragrance gets me in the frame of mind for that person.

I'm a multi-faceted human being.

I think all characters that we play are facets of ourselves.

For me, after emotionally intense roles, I'd need to take a step back because then there's the promoting of the film which is another job in itself.

I don't really have one dish. I'm a very improvisational cook. I sort of like to make things up as I go along. I'm quite creative in the kitchen.

I like being free to take on any project that inspires me and to trust that the work will speak for itself.

I prefer to focus on the future. There are a lot of new stories to be heard.

I enjoy classics, but classics are classics for a reason.

At home I wear my own clothes, no makeup and don't do anything exciting with my hair. I get to borrow pretty dresses for the red carpet, and have experts do my hair and makeup.

As an actress, I'm an emotional person.

For me, it was all about working with an inspirational filmmaker.

I was always the one leading the way in terms of wanting to do acting, singing and dancing.

I always get a little bit scared reading reviews.

Because of my job, my hair gets played with a lot on set, so I try to give it little bit of breathing space when Im not working.

To play Cleopatra on Broadway would just be incredible.

I think there are parts of myself in every character I play.

Because I had grown up with Jane Austen novels and period dramas, I was very familiar with that period and that world.

I'm interested in playing lots of different complex women.

I try to put myself into whatever character I play.

There is the old boys' club, but there are ­people who are "conviction lobbyists" coming from the heart.

I was born in the '80s, so I don't really remember it very strongly, but the music is so iconic.

I'm not turning my back on classical theater. It's all about opportunities and timing a lot of the time when things come up.

The only valid starting point is to understand what we all share - we have to find what we can all agree on.

I've always had an ear for languages and music so it's something I'm continually working on but it's fun.

I'm just broadening my craft and stretching my skills a little bit in different directions.

Because of my job, my hair gets played with a lot on set, so I try to give it little bit of breathing space when I'm not working.

This is going to sound really sad, but I didn't really have any heartthrobs when I was growing up. I was a bit of a geek.

For me, I try and be authentic in my choices and follow my instincts, and I think it's a valuable message for women in today's society to learn to love yourself.