“Black or white good parts are hard to come by. A good actor with a good opportunity has a shot; without the opportunity it doesn’t matter how good you are.”

I think a role model is a mentor – someone you see on a daily basis, and you learn from them.

The time to worrying about flying is when you’re on the ground. When you’re up in the air, it’s too late. No point in worrying about it then.

I wasn’t allowed to go to movies when I was kid; my father was a minister. 101 Dalmatians and King of Kings, that was the extent of it.

I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.

I’ve worked with children all my life.

Learn to laugh at your failures, smile at your wins and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself.

The chances you take, the people you meet, the people you love, the faith that you have. That’s what’s going to define you.

Wisdom is there at your fingertips, use it.

If you don’t trust the pilot, don’t go.

Never confuse movement with progress. Because you can run in place and not get anywhere.

Acting is just a way of making a living, the family is life.

Goals on the road to achievement cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency.

The only thing stopping you from achieving your dreams are the stories you keep telling yourself that you can’t. Don’t wait- act now. Regret nothing.

Don’t aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.

My ultimate life dream project is my kids. My family.

In Los Angeles, everyone is a star.

I think it’s sort of a rite of passage for a British actor to try and get the American accent and have a good crack at doing that.

If any child of mine becomes an actor I will turn in my grave.

The role of an actor is to make every character believable.

I trained for three years at drama school to be an actor – not a celebrity.

The actors that I do know are people who I think have souls, you know?

It’s just people should realize that the celebrity aspect of being an actor is very rarely enjoyable for people like me who would always rather go unnoticed and disappear into the crowd.

I wanted to be a stage actress. I wanted to be a New York actress and have a community with other actors. I didn’t want to get famous; I always thought getting famous was a drag on you.

More than an actor, I am a performer. I’m a great believer – honestly so, shamelessly so, vulgarly so – that cinema is for entertainment. If you want to send messages, there’s the postal service.