Hollywood's diversity champion: David Oyelowo in quotes

I’m hopeful that these milestones we are still seeing now mean that our children will not think twice about a film like Black Panther - of African heroes, black protagonists. Me playing Harold Soyinka in Gringo is radical in some ways, because I can’t think of a Nigerian character of that nature being front and centre in an action-comedy.

It’s ironic to me that it takes a fictionalised imagining of Africa to actually typify how a lot of Africans feel about themselves and about that continent. When you watch Black Panther you see an enormous amount of pride, you see regality, you see a kind of self-possession that so often you don’t get to see portrayed in films when it comes to Africa or African characters.

Playing a historical figure involves a lot of research. There is a lot of pressure to play a three-dimensional version of them that people can tether themselves to through a two-hour movie.

I will till the day I die be an advocate for the d-word: diversity.

I want to work with female directors because they’re going to take me places that are unexpected. In my opinion, and in my experience, they don’t shy away from emotion; they don’t shy away from the messiness of it. They’re less interested in what it looks like, and more interested in what it has to say.

My son actually asked me, ‘Are you going to be the main character’s friend?’ I went, ‘Wow. That’s the world Hollywood shows him.’ So I was very happy to tell him, ‘No. The other actor plays my friend. I’m the centre of the story.’ That felt powerful to me.

I believe the path to a long career is to keep the audience guessing. Daniel Day-Lewis is my absolute hero from that point of view. I literally will pay to see anything he does because I know it’s going to be something different than I have already seen. That’s exactly the kind of career I would like to emulate.

The minute I felt that things weren’t going to keep on an upward trajectory, I knew I had to displace myself. It was very painful for my family, logistically and culturally, going to America, but I just knew I had to.

I think it's vital to have something outside your acting to keep you rooted in the real world and help you fill the vacuum. If you have nothing else, it can be unhealthy. For me being a Christian has been invaluable: it simply means acting isn't the centre of my life.

I’m in this for the long haul. I truly believe in cinema’s potential for cultural impact. I have a clear idea what I want to do – to enrich people’s lives.