--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trying to understand, inside, what it is…" description: "\"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 t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/forest-whitaker-3022_capture_trying-to-understand-inside-what-it-is-t_2883634.jpg" --- # Trying to understand, inside, what it is to be Ugandan was… ![“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.” quote by Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/forest-whitaker-3022_capture_trying-to-understand-inside-what-it-is-t_2883634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/forest-whitaker-3022_capture_trying-to-understand-inside-what-it-is-t_2883634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cc/forest-whitaker-3022_capture_trying-to-understand-inside-what-it-is-t_2883634.jpg) > “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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authentic representation requires immersion in specific cultural contexts; location matters. **In simple terms:** Authentic depiction needs cultural immersion; location matters. Key Takeaway Respect cultural specificity. Themes culture authenticity representation film Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - movie production - cultural research - artistic creation Key Concepts anthropology cinema studies ethical storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How to ensure cultural accuracy? - What responsibilities do creators have? A Different Perspective Misrepresentation risk exists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [South africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-africa/) [Uganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uganda/) ## Related quotes > [“In Ugandan society a girl who had reached puberty was eligible for a family-arranged marriage. The groom would bring wealth to the bride’s family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hahn/in-ugandan-society-a-girl-who-had-reached-puberty-was-eligible-for-a/) [Nick Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hahn/) > [My father is an Indian Ugandan. That's why I was born in Uganda. I've always been proud to be Ugandan, and I've always known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zohran-mamdani/my-father-is-an-indian-ugandan-that-s-why-i-was-born-in-uganda-i-ve/) [Zohran Mamdani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zohran-mamdani/) > [ There are people \[in Uganda\] who hate Idi Amin, a small amount. And then there are the people who really admire him, like a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/there-are-people-in-uganda-who-hate-idi-amin-a-small-amount-and-then/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [Since Idi Amin was from the Sudanese section in the north of Uganda, he was darker skinned. He had more of a blue undertone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/since-idi-amin-was-from-the-sudanese-section-in-the-north-of-uganda/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 Uganda. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-certainly-don-think-i-could-ve-played-the-character-idi-amin-the/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I think the place fed me completely. Not only was I in Uganda, but I was around many people who had a personal relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-think-the-place-fed-me-completely-not-only-was-i-in-uganda-but-i/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [President Obama has decided to have the United Nations review the law of Arizona. You have got to be kidding! We're now going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/president-obama-has-decided-to-have-the-united-nations-review-the-law/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [Every day I have spent in Uganda has been beautifully overwhelming; everywhere I have looked, raw, filthy, human need and brokenness have been on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-davis/every-day-i-have-spent-in-uganda-has-been-beautifully-overwhelming/) [Katie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-davis/) > [Although some people felt Adolf Hitler was bad, he was a great man and a real conqueror whose name would never be forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/although-some-people-felt-adolf-hitler-was-bad-he-was-a-great-man-and/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/there-is-freedom-of-speech-but-i-cannot-guarantee-freedom-after-speech/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [My critics always forget to mention that I was democratically elected, the others were not. Everyone in Uganda can challenge me, everyone can vote,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoweri-museveni/my-critics-always-forget-to-mention-that-i-was-democratically-elected/) [Yoweri Museveni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoweri-museveni/) > [I do not want to be controlled by any superpower. I myself consider myself the most powerful figure in the world, and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-do-not-want-to-be-controlled-by-any-superpower-i-myself-consider/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [I agree that Scott Lively is marginal, and that is exactly why evangelicals must not let him speak for them. But in Uganda, Scott…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-agree-that-scott-lively-is-marginal-and-that-is-exactly-why/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [But certainly in Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa, people don't really talk about sex and certainly religious leaders - some of them - up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/but-certainly-in-uganda-mozambique-and-south-africa-people-don-t/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [It has been hard to muster the resources to support fledgling democracies and to intervene on behalf of the most desperate. The AIDS orphans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/it-has-been-hard-to-muster-the-resources-to-support-fledgling/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) ## More by Forest Whitaker > [To try and act like we haven't had great progress is not true. Obama didn't fail - he changed the psyche of the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/to-try-and-act-like-we-haven-t-had-great-progress-is-not-true-obama/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [In high school, I did some musicals, but I never took acting until college. I was studying opera, classical voice, and a speech teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/in-high-school-i-did-some-musicals-but-i-never-took-acting-until/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I'm really excited that people are receiving my performance like this. It makes me feel good, because I've been working really hard. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-m-really-excited-that-people-are-receiving-my-performance-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [If I go to a reunion in east Texas, my mother's side or my father's, one out of ten is a preacher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-go-to-a-reunion-in-east-texas-my-mother-s-side-or-my-father-s/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/as-an-artist-it-s-a-great-opportunity-to-play-a-character-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-can-play-a-man-who-s-despicable-but-i-ll-still-look-inside-him-to/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's all about destiny. That's why people look at the zodiac or the I Ching - because there's a certain order to life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-all-about-destiny-that-s-why-people-look-at-the-zodiac-or-the-i/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [My wife is completely different from me: she's good with everyone, whereas I'm good at directed conversation when I have a purpose for it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/my-wife-is-completely-different-from-me-she-s-good-with-everyone/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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... anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-was-a-curious-child-i-d-debate-with-anyone-who-came-to-the-door/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [There was a time in my acting career, where I was trying to figure out if acting was the thing to do. You know?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/there-was-a-time-in-my-acting-career-where-i-was-trying-to-figure-out/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [The first time I ever went out of the country, it was to London. I was with the choir from my college, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/the-first-time-i-ever-went-out-of-the-country-it-was-to-london-i-was/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-because-i-grew-immensely-as-an/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I try to be like a forest: revitalizing and constantly growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-try-to-be-like-a-forest-revitalizing-and-constantly-growing/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I stay true, because whatever the project is, I'm still looking for inside of that character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-stay-true-because-whatever-the-project-is-i-m-still-looking-for/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's a contract of connection to be in the same space and watch and listen to stories and be caught in them. When you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-a-contract-of-connection-to-be-in-the-same-space-and-watch-and/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) [Explore all 142 Forest Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## More Capture quotes > [You can't cheat comedy. You know, it either is going to be there on the day you capture or it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/you-can-t-cheat-comedy-you-know-it-either-is-going-to-be-there-on-the/) [Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/) > [People project a grey energy that is very destructive to weaken you, to drain you - just as the snake uses position to capture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/people-project-a-grey-energy-that-is-very-destructive-to-weaken-you/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [(in the film "That's Entertainment!" - 1974) Thank God for film, it can capture a moment and hold it there forever. If anyone ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-minnelli/in-the-film-that-s-entertainment-1974-thank-god-for-film-it-can/) [Liza Minnelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-minnelli/) > [We're in this strange age where we can't say 'I love you,' at least not sincerely. It's something where, if you simplify it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoffer-boe/we-re-in-this-strange-age-where-we-can-t-say-i-love-you-at-least-not/) Christoffer Boe > [Sloppy Firsts perfectly captures the turbulent roller-coaster ride that is being a teenager. This is an (at times) intimate, painfully honest peek at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atoosa-rubenstein/sloppy-firsts-perfectly-captures-the-turbulent-roller-coaster-ride/) Atoosa Rubenstein > [His hands are holding my cheeks, and he pulls back just to look me in the eye and his chest is heaving and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/his-hands-are-holding-my-cheeks-and-he-pulls-back-just-to-look-me-in/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [If it Captures Your Imagination, it will captivate others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/if-it-captures-your-imagination-it-will-captivate-others/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [We wanted a musical number that would capture the exhilaration of being out on a boat as they were and sailing with the stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/we-wanted-a-musical-number-that-would-capture-the-exhilaration-of/) [John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/) > [“Happiness that you obtain from others is very unstable. If you cannot capture it yourself no one else will come and grab it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-street/happiness-that-you-obtain-from-others-is-very-unstable-if-you-cannot/) Cat Street > [If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-lose-the-light-of-the-sun-i-will-write-by-candlelight-moonlight/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I think I can capture the taste buds of the average right-wing conservative who loves barbecue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/i-think-i-can-capture-the-taste-buds-of-the-average-right-wing/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [A terrorist network that believes a nation so tested will fold under pressure of a few horrific acts may capture its attention, but will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-foxx/a-terrorist-network-that-believes-a-nation-so-tested-will-fold-under/) [Virginia Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-foxx/) > [My photographs are not just about the instant of movement you capture in the camera. It's much more total, about constant movement that became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-orozco/my-photographs-are-not-just-about-the-instant-of-movement-you-capture/) [Gabriel Orozco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-orozco/) > [We must understand that God does not "love" us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as "Christian" love is sometimes thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/we-must-understand-that-god-does-not-love-us-without-liking-us/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [My songs have a lot going on in them -they're packed with sounds. When I have only three or four minutes to capture something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-heap/my-songs-have-a-lot-going-on-in-them-they-re-packed-with-sounds-when/) [Imogen Heap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-heap/) Browse all 1,044 Capture quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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. 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