I had always known that I couldn't play Dr. King purely out of my own ability as an actor. When you look at him give those speeches, you can tell that he is taken up by something other than himself. He is flowing with an anointing that is directly from God.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of divine inspiration in achieving greatness.
David Oyelowo reflects on the profound impact that Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches had on him as an actor. He suggests that King's powerful words and presence are not solely a product of human talent, but rather an expression of a divine anointing that elevates his message and resonates deeply with the audience. This recognition of a higher force contributes to the legacy of leaders who inspire others through their extraordinary connection to a greater purpose.
In practice
In a speech at a community event discussing the importance of leadership.
I grew up watching period dramas, as we all did in the 1980s and '90s - endless adaptations of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens - and I loved them. But I never saw anyone like me in them, so I decided to find a story to erode the excuses for me not doing one.
You will never, I think, fully conquer the play. Every night, you see this Everest before you. It's that two, three hours and the audience, and you'd better tell the truth.
Generally speaking, we as black people have been celebrated more for when we are subservient when we are not being leaders or kings or in the center of our own narrative driving it forward.
Excellence is the best weapon against prejudice. I intend to be part of the solution and not the problem. You've just got to keep on banging out good performances.
What we usually do to great men and women is relegate them to homogenised heroism. Their words and actions become soundbites and images in a way that gives us an excuse not to act bravely in our own lives.
Every time I go to Africa, I feel like I hit true north. There is a depth of feeling that I have for the continent, in the richness of the people, the suffering , but also the transcendent joy that is there - it's like nowhere else on the planet.
With an open mind, seek and listen to all the highest ideals. Consider the most enlightened thoughts. Then choose your path, person by person, each for oneself.
My whole life I have been complaining _x000D_ that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered _x000D_ that my interruptions _x000D_ were my work.
You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again.
Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.
The holy child is waiting to be born in every instant, not just once a year.
I have also seen children successfully surmounting the effects of an evil inheritance. That is due to purity being an inherent attribute of the soul.
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