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" I grew up in Nairobi, which is the capital of Kenya, so it's hustle and bustle, and there's always something going on. "

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" I was raised in Kenya, and I always wanted to be an actor from when I was really, really little, but the first time I thought it was something that I could make a career of was when I watched 'The Color Purple.' I think I was nine, maybe, and I saw people that looked like me - Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah. "

" My immediate family was always very supportive. It was my own fear of the rest of the world not accepting me, the rest of our society not accepting my wish to be an actor. "

" I am thrilled beyond words that The Academy has recognized my performance in Steve McQueen's '12 Years a Slave,' and I am deeply proud to be in the company of my fellow nominees. "

" Being considered a fashion star is wonderful. It's definitely a bonus thing. "

" I grew up in a world where the majority of people were black, so that wasn't the defining quality of anyone. When you're describing someone, you don't start out with 'he's black, he's white.' "

" What colonialism does is cause an identity crisis about one's own culture. "

" Drama is my sweet spot, but the thing about being an actor is that you want to do a variety of things. I definitely love fantasy and would want to be in a fantasy project. "

" Ralph Fiennes was a pivotal influence on me. He asked me, 'So what is it you want to do?' I very shyly, timidly admitted that I wanted to be an actor. He sighed, and he said, 'Lupita, only be an actor if you feel there is nothing else in the world you want to do - only do it if you feel you cannot live without acting.' "

" I grew up watching foreign programs - American, English, Mexican, and very little Kenyan. 'The Color Purple' was the first time I saw people who looked like me. "

" Human beings have an instinct for freedom. "

" I come from a very close class. I lucked out because drama schools are often very competitive... I have fourteen classmates. "

" We, as human beings, have the capacity for extreme cruelty. "

" I loved make-believe. I was the child in the cupboard playing with my Barbies. "

" My father was a professor of political science and also a young politician fighting for democracy in Kenya, and when things got ugly, he went into political exile in Mexico. Then I moved back to Kenya shortly after I turned one, and I grew up in Kenya. "

" I definitely intend to create my own work in the future so that we don't have to keep saying, We don't have work for black women.' "

" I always love to learn new things. That's the reason I like being an actor. "

" There have been rumors and rumors and rumors about my love life. That's the one area that I really like to hold close to my heart. "

" Before the advent of the white man, black people were doing all kinds of things with their hair. The rejection of kinks and curls did come with the white man. "

" I thought I was going to school to be other people, but really, what I learned was to be myself - accepting myself, my strengths and weaknesses. "

" I'm still trying to get over the fact that my name is being mentioned with people like Brad Pitt. "

" As actors, you become an expert at starting over. "

" The first time I cut all my hair off was when I was 19. I just got fed up going to the salon every week. I'd had enough! On a whim, it was off. It's low-maintenance. "

" There is something about acting that's mysterious and magical because there is only so much I can do to prepare, and then I have to just let go and breathe and believe that it will come through. "

" There's always a sense of newness with acting, because every role, you come to every role fresh. "

" I discovered that joy is not the negation of pain, but rather acknowledging the presence of pain and feeling happiness in spite of it. "

" My conscious life has all been in Kenya, and it's my point of reference. But going back to Mexico was very formative. "

" I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin, and my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up lighter-skinned. The morning would come, and I would be so excited about seeing my new skin that I would refuse to look down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I wanted to see my fair face first. "

" It's only when you risk failure that you discover things. When you play it safe, you're not expressing the utmost of your human experience. "

" I was born in Mexico because my father was teaching at a school in Mexico City. I was born during the third year he was there. And when I was 16, I returned to Mexico to learn Spanish. "

" I can speak of actors that I love. I love Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, her tenacity. I love Charlize Theron. She's so surprising and so exhilarating, the kinds of projects she takes on. Marion Cotillard as well. "