Quotes

I was always led to believe you should take care of yourself, trust in your abilities and you're the author of your own destiny.

Multifaceted and textured characters are always more intriguing to me. You never really just want to play one note. It becomes a bit monotone and boring.

You really have to act your pants off to stay alive. I thrive on that; I rise to the occasion of the circumstances.

Certainly, I look for different characters 'cause I always like to keep people guessing, and I also don't like to get typecast.

Wale means to arrive home. So the crown has arrived home. Akin is warrior or brave man. Nuoye is a brave man of chieftaincy and Agbaje means wealth and prosperity.

I think that what 'Oz' did is it spawned a great generation of television production. But people know its place in television and just in great dramas. It's the foundation of my career. Most producers, show runners, directors, and casting directors put me in movies based on my performance in that show.

What is a shame is that there isn't stuff that is as great as 'Oz' on a consistent level around today.

I've played different nationalities, and everything from vulnerable to strong to crooked to demented. It just increases your possibilities of work because, if people know you can do just about anything, then you're going to get more offers. That's what I want to do.

I just want to keep the diversity and the options open. In terms of what I'm looking for, I'd like to do a lead action role.

Also, I'd like to play an athlete again, while I'm still physically fit, or a musician, like Nat King Cole, because I play the trumpet and sing. I'd like to incorporate that into a character.

Personally, I love Toronto.

My father was a lorry driver, very rarely at home. The house was run by my mother, and because there were 10 or so kids, there was no time for individual attention. It was about survival. It was about where the next meal was coming from.

It's a significant question: should black people only adopt black children, and white people white children?

I wanted to wash off the experience of Africa but obviously I couldn't because that's who I was.

When a child wants to be accepted, he'll do anything. And if it means you're getting a certain amount of notoriety from a fight, that's what you'll do.

I've never been really great at trusting anybody, just because of the way I grew up.

The only way I know how to deliver is to focus; some people can turn it on or off - I'd rather stay in character.

The only way you can influence your fate is to put your soul into your performance and hope it registers with the audience.

I'm of Nigerian descent, from the Yoruba tribe. Names are very significant in that culture. It basically states your purpose in life.

By the time I was 16, I was someone to reckon with. I was so eager to repudiate any connection with any immigrant race, I would go above and beyond. I was desperate to belong to something. That was my drive as a teenager.

I've been a huge fan of Quvenzhane Wallis since 'Beasts of the Southern Wild.' To me, she's our Shirley Temple, a phenomenal talent, and I wanted to work with her as soon as I saw that movie.

People haven't seen me in a comedic setting, but that's who I really am.

Grassroots projects are what keep you alive as an actor.

I'm just looking to explore every medium to express my talent, but I think mostly it's going to be a focus on features.

I've played many criminals, but I loved playing somebody on the right side of the law who had a family and who had ethics.