Ruth Negga

“When you label someone 'up and coming' or 'the new breakout,' there's this kind of expectation. And I think, like I said before, it's very hard to live up to that expectation when you really don't have that much power as an actor - in terms of your career path and the timing.”

“My family very much adored me, and at school, I was an object of fascination.”

“The idea that you must treat actors a certain way in order to get a performance out of them kind of disturbs me, and it's disregarding what we do. Our job is to do our job.”

“I've gone into auditions, and I think they have an assumption about me when they see my photo, and then I open my mouth, and they say, 'Where exactly are you from? And you were born in Ethiopia? But you're Irish, but you also kind of sound English. That's really strange.'”

“I think if you don't risk something in art, it's not really important.”

“I grew up in a lot of different places, so I pick up accents pretty quickly.”

“I love the Greeks. There's no messing around - it's all do or die with them.”

“I don't like hobbies. I read and travel and see my friends before they disown me.”

“I had a very peripatetic childhood, so I bounced around. Lived in Ethiopia until I was, like, three or four and then lived between Ireland and London.”

“I know I've said it before in interviews, but the idea that all actors have their eye on some sort of prize - it being an Oscar, or fame, or whatever - not all actors I know are like that.”

“I have not been aggressive in my pursuit of being a star. I've never had a plan. Maybe I need to be more aggressive, because it's quite tough!”

“I work best when there's a safety trampoline of kindness.”

“I'm always very careful to say I'm Irish-Ethiopian because I feel Ethiopian and I look Ethiopian and I am Ethiopian. But there are 81 languages in Ethiopia, and I don't know any of them.”

“I think if we don't understand history, if we don't keep referring back to it, we become complacent. And complacency, as we all know, it leads to repeating history.”

“When you work with directors who really love actors, who love their contribution, it feels amazing. But sometimes when you work with directors, you feel like you're in the way.”

“My favorite film is 'All About Eve'.”

“History is written by the winners. My job as an artist is to speak up for those who might be perceived as the losers. Or those who can't shout.”

“You know when you're a kid and you get to pick a movie every Friday? I watched everything. There's no particular genre that was appealing. I just loved the idea that you could dress up and play.”

“Violence in film and television is an ongoing conversation, and I like eavesdropping on it, but I'm never sure what my opinion is. I like watching creative violence, but I don't know.”

“You don't come to see a Greek play and not want blood and gore and depth of feeling from your boots up.”