Some people say to me, ‘You don’t sound very Irish.’ It’s because I have this tendency to iron out my accent: not because I’m ashamed of it but because it makes my life easier if I don’t keep having to repeat myself. – Ruth Negga
Diversity needs to operate on every level. It’s great that the Oscars have highlighted it, but black actors getting nominated shouldn’t be the only result. There’s so much more that needs to be done. – Ruth Negga
I auditioned for ‘Loving’ two years before we started shooting, so in the hopes that I would be playing Mildred, I watched it again. Also it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve seen. I found this couple interminably fascinating; even if I didn’t get the part, I just wanted to know more about them and their story. – Ruth Negga
I’ve always had sort of an interest in American history, full stop, and especially people who contributed to the civil rights struggle. – Ruth Negga
People have always made assumptions about me. I become very territorial about my identity because it’s been hijacked by so many people with their own projections. – Ruth Negga
I’ve always been very talkative, very chatty, quite hyperactive. I grew up with a lot of cousins, and most of them were boys. Four in particular and I were the demolition squad. Havoc. – Ruth Negga
I don’t believe that directors need to essentially manipulate actors into doing things. You can suffer for your art, and you can make your own self suffer for your art. You don’t need anyone else to do it for you. I work best when there’s a safety trampoline of kindness. – Ruth Negga
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. – Ruth Negga
I don’t like the term ‘colour-blind’ – because I don’t want people to be blind to my colour. – Ruth Negga
When you work with directors who really love actors, who love their contribution, it feels amazing. But sometimes when you work with directors, you feel like you’re in the way. – Ruth Negga
I didn’t have that many black people in my life, so I had to sort of search them out. And I didn’t grow up in America, but I identified as much with their writing about the black experience as I did with their writing about the human experience. – Ruth Negga
I like connecting with people, and that’s what good art is: a point of connection. There’s nothing better, on stage or on film. – Ruth Negga
You don’t come to see a Greek play and not want blood and gore and depth of feeling from your boots up. – Ruth Negga
You know when you’re a kid and you get to pick a movie every Friday? I watched everything. There’s no particular genre that was appealing. I just loved the idea that you could dress up and play. – Ruth Negga
In many ways, playing a real person is slightly easier because you have a road map. When you’re playing someone fictitious, there’s myriad ways in. With a real person, there’s boundaries, and that sometimes makes the work easier. – Ruth Negga
I think kids are amazing. You kind of just deal with stuff, don’t you? It’s only years later that you have to spend thousands in therapy. – Ruth Negga
People ask me where I’m from. I say Ireland, and they are like ‘Really? You don’t look Irish.’ Then you have to explain… people are intrigued, but sometimes you think, ‘Why do I have to tell my whole story every time I open my mouth? – Ruth Negga
I had a very peripatetic childhood, so I bounced around. Lived in Ethiopia until I was, like, three or four and then lived between Ireland and London. – Ruth Negga
Stories about race and identity pique my interest for obvious reasons. That’s in my body, my brain, my history, my memories – it’s all part of my toolbox as an actor. – Ruth Negga
I don’t know why women aren’t allowed to have the same sort of breadth and scope and flaws of men. – Ruth Negga
If people want to invade your privacy, they want to invade your privacy. I find it chilling, and I find it awful, and it makes me really nervous. It hasn’t happened to me much, but when you have a taste of it, it’s bitter. – Ruth Negga
My job as an artist is to speak up for those who might be perceived as the losers. Or those who can’t shout. No wonder public-school people always get into politics or acting: they’re taught to shout that much more loudly. – Ruth Negga
I had quite a scattered childhood. I was Irish in London, because I had my secondary school education there. I never really fitted anywhere. I didn’t feel it was a negative thing, and I was never made to feel different – I just knew I was. – Ruth Negga
The good thing about auditioning is that you get to test yourself and see if you can play this character – you’re also auditioning yourself. – Ruth Negga
