Forest Whitaker

I was a curious child. I'd debate with anyone who came to the door - people from the Islamic community... Jehovah's Witnesses...…

— Forest Whitaker

Cinema and the arts invite viewers to focus on a story and, in doing so, peel away its layers and peer into…

— Forest Whitaker

I had been playing really interesting roles before I got great roles. Little ones - 'The Crying Game' I loved working on,…

— Forest Whitaker

Directing is more comfortable for me because, as an actor, there's always something inherently false. Because I'm not that person.

— Forest Whitaker

I stay true, because whatever the project is, I'm still looking for inside of that character.

— Forest Whitaker

It's hard for me to judge my own films as an artist sometimes. But as an artist, I did feel a fulfillment…

— Forest Whitaker

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

— Forest Whitaker

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

— Forest Whitaker

Since Idi Amin was from the Sudanese section in the north of Uganda, he was darker skinned. He had more of a…

— Forest Whitaker

When we talk about the issue of child soldiers, it can be easy to focus just on ending recruitment and liberating those…

— Forest Whitaker

When I was a kid, the only way I saw movies was from the back seat of my family's car at the…

— Forest Whitaker

My wife, Keisha, came home once, and I had these violinists playing for her, and I'd prepared dinner for her, and I…

— Forest Whitaker

I've been fortunate, I guess: I've gotten to play a lot of very diverse roles for quite a long time. But in…

— Forest Whitaker

Until film is just as easily accessible as a pen or pencil, then it's not completely an art form. In painting you…

— Forest Whitaker

The first time I ever went out of the country, it was to London. I was with the choir from my college,…

— Forest Whitaker

Look - I'm an African-American. I'm black. But I'm just looking at the character and trying to find his soul, his energy.…

— Forest Whitaker

If I were to mark three, I'd mark Bird, because I grew immensely as an artist, I learned a lot, and also,…

— Forest Whitaker

There was a time in my acting career, where I was trying to figure out if acting was the thing to do.…

— Forest Whitaker

I think that there's an awakening inside of me really honestly, and I honestly believe that the best work of my life…

— Forest Whitaker

I think that art likes to express society and the way the world is. Hopefully that's what it's trying to do. I…

— Forest Whitaker

My parents moved to Los Angeles when I was really young, but I spent every summer with my grandparents, and I'd stay…

— Forest Whitaker

My eye? It's a genetic thing. My dad had it and now I have it. You know, I just found out that…

— Forest Whitaker

The other night I was walking down the stairs behind one of my daughters. I was tired, and she was goofing around,…

— Forest Whitaker

I go back and forth between indie and studio because I feel like it, not because I feel obligated to do one…

— Forest Whitaker

Ultimately, all human beings fulfill their patterns. We're set in a certain archetype and we fulfill that destiny.

— Forest Whitaker

And God, God who believes in us all. And who's given me this moment, in this lifetime, that I will hopefully carry…

— Forest Whitaker

There's a thing you confront when you're going into something new and you come to this sort of abyss, and then you…

— Forest Whitaker

I care about people. In the end, I think they feel it. It comes across, regardless of the character I'm portraying.

— Forest Whitaker

In my career, I've had people talking about different things many times, but then not get nominated.

— Forest Whitaker

I can play a man who's despicable. But I'll still look inside him to find a point of connection. If I can…

— Forest Whitaker

The true wealth of a community is measured by how carefully it listens to its women and how sincerely it values their…

— Forest Whitaker

I'm inspired to work with good actors, period. I want to work with the best anytime because I think they'll make me…

— Forest Whitaker

When children and youth are deprived of their right to education, their community is deprived of a sustainable future. It is all…

— Forest Whitaker

I'm just looking for characters that continue to make me stretch and grow and learn more about the human condition.

— Forest Whitaker

We have to not just open our eyes to what's going on in other places; we need to open our eyes to…

— Forest Whitaker

The characters I've portrayed may outwardly be quite different from one another, but I've found that they're also intrinsically linked.

— Forest Whitaker

Poitier opened the doors to so many artists, not just black artists. There is a line that goes from black to Latin…

— Forest Whitaker

I'm always surprised when an actor goes so deeply into the truth that they shake you to your core.

— Forest Whitaker

Things are shifting; man is evolving in many different ways. The Internet has created a portal for people to connect with each…

— Forest Whitaker

The Internet is part of our evolution. The mystics used to say, 'We can travel across the planet in a thought.' Now…

— Forest Whitaker