Marianne Jean-Baptiste Quotations

Music is something I couldn't live without. My dad was into music, he played for pleasure - guitar, piano. I started off doing jazz, singing with a lot of fabulous musicians here in London before I went to the States. And I still take piano lessons every Wednesday.

I'm a member of the African diaspora: my parents left the Caribbean and came to London for a better life.

I actually like getting up to blue skies.

I want to work, so I'm going where the work is.

I still take my own lunches to work. That way I can control what I'm eating, as opposed to another doughnut.

With a series, you build the character as you go. When you've got a shorter project or a film, you know the overall arc from the beginning.

I see myself as British, and I want to be celebrated by Britain.

The old men running the industry just have not got a clue. They've got to come to terms with the fact that Britain is no longer a totally white place where people ride horses, wear long frocks and drink tea. The national dish is no longer fish and chips; it's curry.

There needs to be more film directors of colour. They bandy about the word 'diversity' a lot, but when I say 'of colour,' I mean Asian, black - I mean people of all colour. We need to have those voices given the opportunity, not told that their films will not be distributed or will not sell well abroad.

I wanted to be a barrister for a long time.

I love the mountains, the light. I'm a real light junkie.

If you think about it, I made history. Not only was I the first black British woman to be nominated for an Oscar, I was the first black British person.

I don't think children have competed with my career, they have clarified it. My children ground me. They make me honest.

Britain is no longer totally a white place where people ride horses, wear long frocks, and drink tea. The national dish is no longer fish and chips, it's curry.