A biography for Paterson Josephhasn’t been written yet.
“I mean, ethnic is a meaningless term because everybody thinks it means brown or something, but actually, we're all ethnic.”
“We have fixed ideas of Tudor Britain, Victorian and Edwardian Britain as entirely white. But an awful lot of what we know as history was curated by racists. There is no other word for it.”
“I hope my play, 'Sancho,' will contribute a little to an understanding of our shared British history, whoever we are.”
“Comedy and sci-fi are two areas where you can be larger than life, without the charge of overacting.”
“I like to acknowledge the audience. It seems foolish to pretend they're not there.”
“Black storytelling can be about anything, absolutely anything, and within that it can be as enriching, as complex, beautiful, ugly as anything else. We are not seeing enough of those complexities on our stages.”
“Stress, pressure, pushback makes you stronger often. I wouldn't recommend it but if it's there and you can survive it, it can make you very determined.”
“If you think something is expensive for you or it's not part of your community, you don't go for it.”
“When I do TV, I always look at it afterwards and realise that I'm more of a theatre actor.”
“We must have belief in BAME artists and have total trust in their work.”
“Babylon' has definitely added a degree of sympathy to my opinion of those at the top of the major police forces in the U.K.”
“You've just got to expand the breadth of imagination. The diversity of ideas is the most important thing.”
“I think radio's a beautiful thing, because it's all about the imagination, and it's all about the capability of the performer being able to convince you of what and who they are.”
“Dialogue's brave, brilliant and eclectic list is one that I am very privileged to be joining and I look forward to an exciting collaboration with this pioneering company.”
“Why can I not get seen for parts in 'Emma,' 'Great Expectations,' or 'Downton Abbey?' Is it because I'm not 'the right kind of actor'? Or just the wrong colour of actor?”
“I stayed in some lovely hotels in Thailand, especially the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok. It was very peaceful and really well done. It also had food to die for and the staff were incredibly polite.”
“I love the Olivier. It's a great space for me because I'm a big actor.”
“It does good things to one, to feel that you are included in the story of your nation.”
“I was reluctant to play Othello. It seemed like such a 'black actor' cliche, but when I finally did, in my 40s, I related to him deeply - his brittleness, his ability to fall into an all-encompassing love. I could see where the madness could get in.”