Riz Ahmed Quotes

I thought, 'Oh, this is great,' because maybe someone who does look like me will watch 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' and realize that they can be an actor if they want to be, or they can be a superhero. They can have a hero that looks like them as well.

As a kid I didn't see black cowboys on the screen. What that said to me was that there were things I couldn't do or be because of my color. What we see others like us do gives us permission to expand our own horizons.

I'd like to be the role model to teach other people who have Down's syndrome to be actors and actresses and to be themselves and not try to be a big shot.

I think my roles have been wonderfully varied. Not one has been racially stereotypical, and I have purposely chosen them like that.

In the end, I play a lot of friends and I really think it's about time that some ethnic girls get out there in the lead part. So we're developing something.

It feels amazing to be a role model for people with and without disabilities.

In America, I am brown; I'm 'of colour', so I would be offered Latin roles, and I've fought against that. I don't want to be put in a category, to be just offered the same sort of thing. For me, it's all about different roles, telling the stories of the great writers.

We still have to create things for African American women. Just like Tyler Perry is doing it, we can't wait for things to happen; you have to go and make and create roles and go to people.

As an African American actress, there are people who have been staples in my life that opened a door that I can walk through. I hope that I can have that impact.

I always felt that just being an actor is difficult. Being an Asian-American actor doesn't make it more difficult. I see it as an opportunity and a chance to help other Asian-American actors coming along.

If I can sit on national television, and people are listening to what I think, anyone can do anything.

I knew there was a school where women could study astronomy. So... it never occurred to me that I couldn't be an astronomer.

We always talk about how important representation is. It's so important to see someone that looks like you - whether you're African American, Asian, Indian or whatever your background is - doing incredible things. It's just motivation to go out there and do incredible things yourself.

I always wanted to be like Mark Messier and I loved Wayne Gretzky, the same as other kids. But it was also really special for me to see the Black players that were in the NHL.

I think it's important for youngsters from all walks of life to have some sort of representative that they can look up to and aspire to be and let them know there's a chance for anybody from any background.

I want to be in this position for people to be able to see I made it. I'm gay, I made it. You can. Not exactly doing the same thing I'm doing, but if it's a job or school or whatever, you're able to make it.

When you speak to potential black and ethnic coaches who want to go into the game, one aspect that they always speak about are role models. They would like to see representation, more at a higher level. And any part I can play in that I am delighted to do.

The more people feel comfortable to showcase that and the more we highlight that as a visibility for young girls to see and look up to - I think that's better.

I think it's important to inspire other people to try and do things that people discourage you to do.

I'm very optimistic about the future, because... Okay, with Audra McDonald, even just on Broadway, they cast her in shows that are usually not played by African-American women, so she's very inspiring to me just because of that, you know what I mean?

There's room for everyone, and everyone is wanted and needed. Whoopi showed me that. When I first saw 'The Color Purple,' it was so huge. That was the first time I had seen myself, my mother, my aunts, women that I had known my whole life on-screen. It gives us hope, and it gives us confidence.

It can be very challenging to be what you can't see. Think about it in the physical world. You walk into a room, and no one looks like you. Can you relate to them? Do you feel welcome? Let's stop talking about how men dominate the technology industry and instead focus on the women who are killing it.

My African-American friends thought it was cool that I was racing. It's not like we had any role models out there to look up to, so everyone understood I was doing something very different.

We absolutely need more role models. I think we need more people to come forward and be proud of who they are.

Something that's hard for me, I remember being a child in the '80s and looking at this field. It was a field I wanted very much to go into, but I didn't see people who looked like me working in video games. You can't really be it if you can't see it.