What I have wanted to do is take roles that are unexpected for people who look like me. Roles that the establishment would say, 'Oh, she couldn't possibly be that.'
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes challenging stereotypes and expectations based on appearance.
Ruth Negga expresses her desire to take on roles that defy conventional expectations tied to her identity. By seeking unexpected roles, she aims to challenge and disrupt the perceived limitations imposed by society, showcasing the importance of diversity in representation and the power of breaking molds.
In practice
In a keynote speech about breaking stereotypes in the film industry.
When I was a kid in Ireland, there were not very many black people. I was very much like the strange brown thing, intriguing and cute. I didn't experience racism there. The first time I did was in London. It was that moment that you realize you're black. A kind of lifting of the veil.
I don't know why women aren't allowed to have the same sort of breadth and scope and flaws of men.
When you connect to someone on a human level, and you get to know about them, you can begin to love the things that make them different. That's when fear dissipates, and that's when we can live the life that we're all supposed to be living.
I don't like the term 'colour-blind' - because I don't want people to be blind to my colour.
Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.
When something an affliction happens to you, you either let it defeat you, or you defeat it.
Acts of bravery don't always take place on battlefields. They can take place in your heart, when you have the courage to honor your character, your intellect, your inclinations, and yes, your soul by listening to its clean, clear voice of direction instead of following the muddied messages of a timid world.
To avoid an occasion for our virtues is a worse degree of failure than to push forward pluckily and make a fall.
The likelihood that your acts of resistance cannot stop the injustice does not exempt you from acting in what you sincerely and reflectively hold to be the best interests of your community.
I've put up with more humiliation than I care to remember.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.