Jessica Raine Quotes

When I told my mum I was going to play my first gig when I was 14, she couldn't believe it, cause I was painfully shy at that time. But I just done it, put my head down and got through it. And I suppose there's still a little bit of that, even though it's many years later and I've been doing it for a long time.

I've always known I wanted to go into acting, but being a very proud teenager, I wasn't ready to admit it until I felt like it was going to be possible.

I didn't think I was an actor and fought it for a long time. Nobody paid for that but me.

Don't let anyone tell you your ideas are stupid or the thing you feel most passionate about 'won't work' - it's happened to me time and time again, and we find that if you push at what you think is interesting hard enough, you're probably right.

I hated modeling. I was so scared. But as soon as I started doing jewelry, I did better as a model.

Just keep on going and keep believing in your own original vision, no matter what odds you have to overcome. And especially don't be stopped by your own fears.

Finally, in my early 30s, I started writing fiction for the first time as an adult. That felt so scary, and I spent a few years feeling miserably 'behind' my high-achieving friends. But I persevered and obviously have no regrets.

It's interesting - years ago, I had such bad stage fright during musical theater auditions that I just gave up. And now I'm on Broadway.

I was always told at school that you had to have a back-up plan, but all I ever wanted to do was act. There was no plan B for me.

I really started dreaming... and broke out of my shyness when I got to Howard University. My first acting class was an Intro to Acting class with Professor Bay, who really broke me out of my shell, encouraged me to follow my dreams and make them a reality.

Have the courage of your desire.

A long time ago when I was very little, I dreamed about being on stage. Some people told me I would never be able to do it, so I only paid attention to those who told me that I could.

I have always wanted a solo career, deep in the darkest pit of myself, but I didn't dare admit it to myself even. It took me a long time to confront my fears.

I was a swimsuit model, and I got bored. Acting was challenging. It was very hard and intimidating. We choose to do things in life sometimes that scare the crap outta us. Performing in front of people was my challenge.

Sometimes the mere assumption that you have the right to go, will get you there!

When you know what you're passionate about and what you want to do, just go for it and own it.

I remember lying in bed one night when I was 15 and deciding I was ready to go into acting properly. I'd put it off until then because I didn't feel I was ready to handle the rejections.

Keep doing what you're doing. Don't be afraid of fame.

I didn't start drama school until I was 20, and I don't think I would have gotten nearly as much out of it had I gone when I was 18. I didn't show up there to please anyone. After I was accepted, I wrote, 'The Audition's Over' and put it on the door of my dorm.

It took me a while to really believe in myself or feel determined about it, but then once I realized that it's possible for anyone, and these people who are singers started off very normal... I realized that it was not that hard to do.

I don't think I would ever have taken on professional acting roles if I hadn't had the ability to fly. I had quite low self-esteem, and it gave me the self-confidence to believe I could do anything that I put my mind to.

It's important to take risks and challenge yourself. That's why I went into acting, really.

It took me a really long time to finally feel good about saying, 'Yes, I'm an actor. I chose to do this. I'm doing this.'

It took me seven years to even comfortably say that I'm an actor.

I love to sing and never thought I'd be able to do it, and it happened for me.