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

The muscles you flex in theater are muscles that you really need. I must always find a way to get back there. It's irreplaceable.

It's in understanding yourself deeply that you can lend yourself to another person's circumstances and another person's experience.

You win an Oscar, and immediately people ask how you feel. So you don't have time to actually feel anything because you have to generate a response. And then some of the feelings you have are so intimate and visceral, words don't really do them justice.

Makeup isn't something I've worn a lot of in my life.

Growing up in Kenya, slum life was not far away. I had family that lived in slums, so I visited them often, and so I've seen and interacted with abject poverty. But I also know that because of that, poverty is not the definition of the people that live there.

When I was younger, I was almost too afraid to admit that I wanted to be an actor. I didn't know any successful actors in Kenya, so I felt like I could get away with going to college to study film more easily than I could with saying, 'I want to be an actor.' That's what I did.