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There's a molecule inside of ...

There's a molecule inside of you that is connected to everything - every person, every energy, every thing. You look for it, and when you find it, then you allow it to magnify and grow and be the dominating chemistry inside of you.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I like to play complex charac...

I like to play complex characters and the duality, and trying to reach for the light, it's more interesting really. I've gotten to play so many types of guys and I just try to find the humanity in each one of them the best I can.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I found the people to be very...

I found the people to be very kind and generous. It was unique because the crew was mainly Ugandan [filming The Last King of Scotland]. They had never done a film before. So, they were learning the process of making films, but at the same time they were also helping with the authenticity of the film.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

My parents moved to Los Angel...

My parents moved to Los Angeles when I was really young, but I spent every summer with my grandparents, and I'd stay with my grandfather on the farm in Longview. He was retired from the railroad, and he had a small farm with some cows and some pigs. I remember part of my youth was feeding hogs and plowing fields and stuff, so that's a part of me.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I hope that audiences respond...

I hope that audiences respond really positively. I think it's a very intense, entertaining film [The Last King of Scotland], because you're brought in on a fun ride, and slowly you fall into it as James [actor James McAvoy's character, Dr. Nicholas Garrigan] does. Nicholas is like the audience. I think it's a good ride for people. And you learn something, as well.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I never acted in anything I'v...

I never acted in anything I've directed but I have produced a number of films and I have acted in some of the movies I've produced. Usually with first time filmmakers and pushing a move forward I have played a small role but never the lead.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I certainly don' think I coul...

I certainly don' think I could've played the character [Idi Amin] the same way without being in Uganda. I loved working in Uganda.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

There was a time in my acting...

There was a time in my acting career, where I was trying to figure out if acting was the thing to do. You know? I was always on this journey of trying to learn more about humanity and people - using the characters and situations as guideposts. I could switch up and do another job as long as I'm continuing that same search and that same journey of revealing my connection to humanity and the universe. And directing gives me the opportunity to explore ALL these different lives and their connection to their environments and the people. And I get to connect to the wires of the universe.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I went through two schools of...

I went through two schools of acting but I learned more about acting from meditating and from my marshall arts teacher.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I started by studying Kiswahi...

I started by studying Kiswahili to learn the dialect. Then, I studied tapes, documentaries, footage, and audio cassettes of Idi Amin's speeches. And I met with his brothers, his sisters, his ministers, his generals' all kinds of people, in order to try to understand him.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

Trying to understand, inside,...

Trying to understand, inside, what it is to be Ugandan was crucial to the character, because there are Ugandan ways of doing things that I was trying to capture. Even if I had made this movie in South Africa, it would not have been the same, because it is so specific to Uganda.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I try to serve the character ...

I try to serve the character all the time; this one took a lot of work and was consuming. It's like climbing up a ladder and sometimes you're afraid to face yourself so you make excuses; you avoid going to the top of the ladder and look in the mirror.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

Since Idi Amin was from the S...

Since Idi Amin was from the Sudanese section in the north of Uganda, he was darker skinned. He had more of a blue undertone. So, we did change the coloring of my skin to be closer to his. But otherwise, there were no transformations besides acting.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

As an artist, it's a great op...

As an artist, it's a great opportunity to play a character like this [Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland]. And then, as a person, I had never been to the African continent. So, I knew, personally, it would reshape me.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

In every project, I always lo...

In every project, I always look for the depth of humanity inside of it. I'm just trying to say if we can help in some way heal the equation with [Afro-Americans] what's going on with us as people.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

Until film is just as easily ...

Until film is just as easily accessible as a pen or pencil, then it's not completely an art form. In painting you can just pick up a piece of chalk, a stick or whatever. In sculpture you can get a rock. Writing you just need a pencil and paper.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

I was trying to capture this ...

I was trying to capture this man's [Idi Amin] energy, and I did a lot of research in studying him. I tried to capture his 'Warrior King' energy inside of me as much as possible.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

The other night I was walking...

The other night I was walking down the stairs behind one of my daughters. I was tired, and she was goofing around, you know like kids do, doing all this stupid stuff on the stairs. And I was thinking, please just go down the stairs and let's get you to bed. It's after your bedtime. I've had enough for one day. And then I sort of caught myself. I snapped out of it. I was like, 'dude, you should be dancing down the stairs behind her'!

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

It's a unique experience when...

It's a unique experience when you're doing an independent film where you have one person who puts up all the funds to make the film.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

And God, God who believes in ...

And God, God who believes in us all. And who's given me this moment, in this lifetime, that I will hopefully carry to the end of my lifetime into the next lifetime.

Forest Whitaker 57 quotes

Добрые, щедрые, великодушные: 6 советских актеров, которые были всеобщими любимчиками

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