Naomie Harris Quotes

As an artist, I am interested in telling stories that haven’t been told before, stories that are going to affect people, and also stories that shine light on areas of history that haven’t had light shined on them before.

Kids should be naughty and go through that rebellious phase I didn’t have.

Hollywood ‘friends’ are only after one thing. They’re looking out for the next big thing, and they don’t want to miss out on you just in case.

I’ve never been that person who wants a Rolls Royce or wants to live in a mansion or what have you.

Make-up is an extension of your clothes.

I live on the same street as my family, actually. I live across the road. I’m a real family person!

Be open and honest, but perceptive to your boss’s situation. That’s my advice to graduates worried about working with a new boss.

You don’t need to follow trends to be stylish.

I’m totally in love with Jane Austen and have always been in love with Jane Austen. I did my dissertation at university on black people in eighteenth-century Britain – so I’d love to do a Jane Austen-esque film but with black people.

I’m not the greatest driver. I don’t know if I’ll ever master the art.

Education opens the door to everything in terms of having a career and an impact on society and not being a slave to your job, really.

I think there’s nothing more amazing than helping people every day.

I was brought up in Britain, and I’m very proud of my Britishness and my culture.

I’m always interested in telling stories that have a message because I really do believe that film is so powerful.

Getting to travel around the world and go to glamorous locations is certainly not what I had as a kid.

If you educate children, then they are capable of so much – you empower them, you give them choices, and you enable them to create the lives that they dream for themselves.

I usually look in my eyes to tell the truth of how I’m feeling that day.

Actors need steely determination. It’s a tough profession with plenty of knocks along the way. You have to be very determined and never take ‘no’ for an answer.

I think my roles have been wonderfully varied. Not one has been racially stereotypical, and I have purposely chosen them like that.

I really, really love Daniel Craig as Bond.

Everybody struggles with being an oddball. It’s tough trying to fit in when you’re a kid; then you become an adult and you think, ‘I’m just going to be myself and either they accept it or they don’t.’ But you know what? I like me, and that’s the most important thing.

As a society we should be encouraging people out of the debt-culture mindset, not promoting it.

I try to be upbeat. I read this book which tells you to write down everything that you’re grateful for each day. Now I’m constantly noticing all the little things that make me joyful.

When I have finished a job, done all the promotion, and it’s been received well. Then I can allow myself the luxury of a break, and chilling out with my family and friends, and taking a nice break knowing I’ve done a good job.

I don’t why I was bullied. I was quite shy and skinny. Very nerdy, very bookwormish. I think I was just a target.

It’s true about the eyes being the window to the soul. Your face can be etched with worry, and twisted by ageing, but the eyes tell the true story of who you are.

I always find filming stressful. I get very caught up thinking about my character – ‘Am I doing it right? Should it be done this way?’

Your boss is only human and just wants the best from you.

What I generally get from being in Africa is a sense of warmth and openness. As a stranger, you are always welcomed into people’s homes and people are always offering you food. That generosity is incredibly touching.

The ethos of most films is that you make a film, you exploit the community, you exploit the environment, and it’s OK because you made a great film, you know?

When you’re on set, the crew are like your family because you see them every day, six days a week.

I have many different sides; I can be the life and soul of the party – or a wallflower.

I like to believe that we all pray to the same god.

I’m incredibly impatient; I’d like to be less so, and more content with the now.

I love make-up and the process of transforming my face for a night out, but I definitely don’t believe in wearing it every day. I think it’s really important to be comfortable with the way you look without it.

The Windrush era is a very important part of British history as it helps us understand how and why we became the multicultural society we are today, and also helps us understand the history of race relations in this country.

Powerful women are the most interesting to play.

I love Sam Mendes. He’s a fantastic director.

I can’t impersonate someone. That is not what I do. I can only take someone’s essence and create a character out of that.

I still pray a lot. I still believe in God. I just don’t believe in any set religion.