Quotes by Uzo Aduba

When I was little, I didn't smile much. Don't get me wrong. I was a happy kid, but I couldn't stand the space, dead center, in between my teeth. Yeah, I could whistle through it, but so what? That didn't win me many points on the playground in Medfield, Massachusetts.

— Uzo Aduba

Happiness

I kept hiding my smile in pictures throughout middle school and most of high school until picture day came my senior year.

— Uzo Aduba

Happiness

I've heard of nothing coming from nothing, but I've never heard of absolutely nothing coming from hard work.

— Uzo Aduba

Success

I loved 'Ghana Must Go' by Taiye Selasi. It's about a first-generation African family living in America that has to return home to Nigeria when their estranged father passes away.

— Uzo Aduba

Life

My mother is a fighter. After she battled polio and learned to walk again, the doctors told her she would be a cripple her entire life. Instead of accepting defeat, she refused this fate and went on to become the West African Women's Singles tennis champion in college.

— Uzo Aduba

Education

When it comes to inmates, we have boiled them down to just the few things we know about them - their crime, their current life situation, their identification number. But the reality is they were something before they were their crime.

— Uzo Aduba

Life

In performance, you don't always feel that sort of family bond right off the top. It sort of develops and grows over time.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

I am the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. My mother is a survivor of both polio and of the Igbo genocide during her country's civil war in the late 1960s.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

I ran track in high school very competitively, and then ran it D-1 at Boston University. I ran there on an athletic scholarship and chose BU because they had both a good track program and an arts program.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

I come from Nigeria, and we live by the idea that it takes a village. So my entire team. I live by my team: my friends, my neighbors, my teachers - they're the people who taught me how to be a free actor.

— Uzo Aduba

Friendship

I think there's something really thrilling to having to get people laughing about something, and then, when you have them in that comfort space, you can drop the weight into the texture of the story.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

As for the fake teeth, they're officially retired. I haven't really found a need or want to wear them.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

I dream in color, and I have visions of feelings and energies that I would love to feel.

— Uzo Aduba

Love

I love De la Renta. I love CoSTUME National; I think they're just incredible. And I love Marc Jacobs, too - they're also great, just a great brand.

— Uzo Aduba

Love

I love ensemble work. I love making pieces and building things together.

— Uzo Aduba

Love

I love physicality. I love movement very much.

— Uzo Aduba

Love

I might literally fall over dead if I meet Oprah Winfrey. I'm kind of joking, but I'm not confident that wouldn't happen.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

I think it's always a good idea to dress as someone you like, as long as it's done in good taste. That's the key.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

I used to be a huge fan of 'Lockup' on MSNBC, and that certainly has helped with my understanding of the world.

— Uzo Aduba

Life

I was pursuing the arts with theater in school, and I was doing after-school activities, but not in any real movement towards a professional career.

— Uzo Aduba

Success

I'll definitely wear orange on the red carpet!

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

I'm obsessed with 'Scandal.' I love, love, love it. I've gotten to meet all of the cast at this point, and they're all so, so nice.

— Uzo Aduba

Love

My family is from Nigeria, and my full name is Uzoamaka, which means 'The road is good.'

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom

My family is more a sports family, and I figure skated for a very long time, so movement and how I relate to movement is very integral to my process.

— Uzo Aduba

Wisdom