I would say to any young black , if you get a job and you're asked to work 100%, then you work 125% and don't complain about it. The moment you complain about it, then you don't really want to work. Always do more than you're asked to do and you'll get far in life - and that applies to all youth.

I was offered and accepted a part in 'A Few Best Men,' and then the Australian actor's union argued that there were too many British actors. And the director decided to lose me.

The BFI recently did a study of the British films that have the most people of color in them in the last 10 years, and in the top 10, three of the films were my films. I've always been a glass-is-half-full person. I've always gone, "If people aren't going to do it, I'm going to do it".

I'm always writing, but directing takes priority over everything, unless the acting is a job that lifts that whole brand. If I get a part in a big film with a big director and I was going to direct one of my one films, I would take the former job because that job will only help anything that I then intend to do. I think in the long run, directing is the thing that will outlive everything else. Maybe that and writing.

I'm just who I am. I don't try to change myself for other people.

Let's start doing new and different things that enable us all to grow as a film culture and a community in total.

I just started to write because I was fed up of not seeing the stories that I wanted, so I was like “Stop moaning and write something.”