Nobody in my family is in the show business, and none of my friends were. I went to a very academic school that actually - when I got to the point of wanting to pursue acting, they just had no idea how to do that, because all of their contacts were very academic.
Freema AgyemanI was very much into science when I was young - I wanted to be a marine biologist, then I wanted to be a doctor, and then something else, I was always changing.
Freema AgyemanI love hotels for their solitude and comfort, but I believe a seedy one can have as much promise as a plush one.
Freema AgyemanI was very much into science when I was young - I wanted to be a marine biologist, then I wanted to be a doctor, and then something else, I was always changing. Acting didn't come up until much later, probably about 16 or 17. I thought, "Oh, I quite like this."
Freema AgyemanI couldn't sustain myself if I skimped on food - I work 16-hour days, I need the energy, I can't afford to be stingy on what I eat.
Freema AgyemanI went to University after my A levels and did a degree in performing arts. It was only when I got there that I realized there were stage schools out there, and you had your union and your contacts and The Spotlight and this whole world of the acting industry that I had no idea about. So when I graduated, I took a year out and just thought really hard about whether it was something I knew enough about, and whether it was the career I could dedicate the rest of my wacky life to.
Freema AgyemanI'm terrified of bugs and I travel with sprays, lotions, potions; the lot. I have to check the room before I go to sleep and if I come across a bug and fail to remove it I have to sleep in a separate room as I'm paranoid that I'll be taken advantage of as I sleep.
Freema AgyemanI'm fully aware that 'Doctor Who' will always, always be part of my life, and that's not something I would run away from in the slightest. I wear it with pride, definitely.
Freema AgyemanI swing between procrastination and being really thorough so either way things aren't getting done quickly.
Freema AgyemanWhether people watch Doctor Who or not over here, everybody knows about it. It's a British icon, it's so part of the nation.
Freema AgyemanI always have to have breakfast before I leave the house, even if it's 4 A.M. and I'm not hungry.
Freema AgyemanI know it's really square but I'm one of those people who piles on the factor 50 as soon as I'm outside.
Freema AgyemanDavid Tennant is a massive fan, and grew up dreaming he would be the Doctor Who one day. So I did feel, when I first got the job, "Right, now I've got to do loads of research into absolutely everything Doctor Who." But that's not possible to do in a short space of time. So my knowledge has been growing and developing as I've been doing it, and that's been fine. That's been appreciated by the fans, and the executives never expect me to be brushed up on absolutely everything.
Freema AgyemanI'm one of these people that if I have a nice holiday - like I have had in Turkey repeatedly - I go back a lot.
Freema AgyemanI went to a very academic school that actually - when I got to the point of wanting to pursue acting, they just had no idea how to do that, because all of their contacts were very academic.
Freema AgyemanI found a lot of comfort in the fact that 30-odd people have been companions before me. I think that when there are so many people contributing so many things to the show, all you can do is make it your own. You can't try to emulate anyone, because who would you pick? The companions are very much the everyman, and the audience watches the story through their eyes, so they could be the person next door. And everybody's different.
Freema Agyeman