"I wasn't very academic at school, but the Wolsey Youth Theatre was the saving of me."
"I tried twice to get into drama school and didn't, so I worked my way up through the fringe."
"I moved to London, and it's a cliche to say that London is a melting pot, but it's true - I didn't stand out anymore."
"I arrived in this country as a refugee child with my sister and my mother."
"Family - it's all about family. Families feeling safe and finding your safe place."
"The only question we should ask is, 'Are they good?' I've met great actors, black and white, and I've met bad actors, black and white."
"At the very beginning, being a parent did impact how I go about this business."
"The world shows us what we need at a specific moment in time."
"I am very blessed to have this experience of being a parent, but do not negate me from this industry because I am a parent."
"I am a black woman who has been given this character called Hermione to play on the stage. But actually, we've all grown up with the books, with Emma Watson playing her in the films. Imagery is so strong."
"I'm a great company actor, a great supporting actor. I serve the piece."
"I now realise I'm a great actor."
"I don't do the victim mode. I don't do blame. I can't bear that."
"There are so many directors, young and old, around - all doing their thing and struggling."
"We're storytellers - and if the story is told well, you go with the form."
"I'm working with theatre-makers who are the top of their game, and it's extraordinary."
"I've always been curious about the other worlds we can shift into in our imaginations."
"I am so lucky I get to work with amazing, amazing people."
"I remember, being young is a scary, wonderful feeling."
"Stop worrying what other people think."
"The weight of expectation is huge. But for me, that pressure has been outweighed by getting text messages from mums I know saying how huge it is for their mixed-race daughters that I am playing Hermione."
"However popular you are, you still feel like an outsider."
"I am so passionate about representation because, growing up, I didn't see myself, and now people can say, 'I see myself there.' We're all trying to find where we are."
"Whoever we are, we have to carve something out of our lives. I would like to be on my deathbed going, 'I've enjoyed that. I went through the rollercoaster of it, but I've appreciated it.'"
"If I think even a week ahead, I get terrified. My big thing is trying to enjoy the moment as much as I can."
