Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Quotes

I remember when I was a kid, with the acting thing, I resented it because, you know, you don't want to do what your parents want you to do.

I was obliged to stand there, holding the leash of this creature for their welcoming publicity shots, implying that this was some kind of image the decided to have of me.

My mother says I was two and a half when I first mentioned I wanted to be an actor. My father said, 'The word is pronounced 'Doctor!'

How can my son not be straight after all I've said and done for him?

I'd been very certain about not wanting to do the acting thing because of my father. I thought I'd always have the father-son thing of 'He got you the part.'

I am a Senator against my wishes and feelings, which I regret more than any other of my life.

Until late in life, I was never quite good enough for my father, and I suppose that is part of what drives me even now, well after his death in 1992.

From when I was 7 until I was 22, I played football. That was always my struggle as a kid. I always wanted to be an artist, but my parents were divorced, and my dad really wanted me to play sports, and that's how I got to see him. He would come pick me up or take me to practice, and he was always at my games.

I saw everything on my parents, and I said to myself: 'I don't want to live my life like this.' They gave me everything they could but it was not amazing.

My father believed in astrology. His astrologer had predicted that his daughter would become a writer someday. My father would nag me, but I didn't write a word till he passed away. I wish he could see me now.

Oh, yeah! Playing 'Young Jackie' came at the insistence of Roseanne herself. Mom obliged but told me that would not be an option again until I was 18. Truthfully, I grew up not thinking I would act.

My father was in the coal and heating business, and he wanted me to take over his business, and I resented every moment of it. So I would never force my kids to do what I do.

My parents were not pushy or anything like that. I think my mom was still expecting me to be an astronaut, but now she is very happy that I'm not doing that.

I didn't push any of my kids into golf, and they played golf because they wanted to.

My mum wanted me to be a doctor like my dad, and at 7, I really wanted to be a politician, and I managed in my mind to combine the two.

I do have a son. He's out of school now. He never played football. And it had nothing to do with me. I was actually crushed that he didn't play football. I thought, 'Oh my God, this is awful.' My brothers all played football. My dad played football.

In my head, I was like any young kid: 'I'm going to be a footballer.' But at the same time, my mum and dad were making me do my schoolwork, and that was important.

Every Christmas, all I ever wanted was Playskool instruments. It was my entire life. And then by the time I was 6 or 7 years old, it became, 'Now I'm going to force my entire family to watch me perform all these rock songs.'

I have sisters who act, and I'd always seen it as their thing. I was never in the school plays like them - I wanted to be a painter.

I became a music director because I never saw my father get the success he deserved.

You can't force kids on people.

I didn't know my mother was an actress until I was eight and she went back to work. At an even younger age than that, I'd wanted to be an actress, so when I saw her, I clearly remember thinking, 'This is a strange coincidence.'

I was probably 13 or 14 when I realised I had a chance to make it. That's when I realised that a bit of education had to be sacrificed in order to become a footballer.

I had a talk with my older son a couple of days ago. I explained to him that I went to a therapist and I found out that I wanted two things very much: I wanted children and I wanted acting. My therapist said to combine this will be very hard. And being a parent is the hardest thing I've ever done.

One thing about me is that my parents didn't force me to be an athlete.