Aja Naomi King Quotes

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Aja Naomi King

Profession : Actress

Birth : January 11, 1985

In this day and age, when there are so many people creating work online and writing their own shows, I wouldn't tell another actor, 'If you can do anything else go do that.' I would tell them to figure out the story they want to tell, to figure out what artists inspire you and why, and then figure out a way you can create that for yourself.

Aja Naomi King

When I was younger, my mother tried to get me an agent because I was always singing and dancing, but whenever she took me to an audition, I would just shut down.

Aja Naomi King

I thought I was going to be on Broadway. I thought, 'I'm going to do theater.'

Aja Naomi King

If you ask two people to remember a specific event, the stories are going to vary wildly because we always make ourselves out to be the hero.

Aja Naomi King

To meet someone who wants to fight to just tell the truth about what's happening in government... this is a real life superhero right here.

Aja Naomi King

I always think - when I get mad, and people say, 'Don't be the angry black woman' - it's like, well, why not? There's so much to be angry about.

Aja Naomi King

I saw 'Birth' at the Sundance Film Festival with a thousand other strangers, and I couldn't believe that was me in the film. I didn't recognize myself.

Aja Naomi King

My favorite spot to hang out is my home.

Aja Naomi King

When you do a play, you have all this time to rehearse and grow into the character. In television, even though you're waiting and waiting and waiting, once you're actually on set engaging in the scene with another actor, time is of the essence.

Aja Naomi King

I've been trying to eat healthier, but sometimes it doesn't work out when you're sitting in front of the TV drinking wine, and you realize you really need ice cream to go along with it.

Aja Naomi King

By high school, I was telling everyone, 'Oh, I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up,' because my dad was always saying to me, 'Pick a career path where you're always going to be necessary.' But by junior year, I was president of choir, I was the lead in the school play, and I just loved being onstage performing.

Aja Naomi King

I use Pureology Shampoo and Conditioner, and after shampooing, I'll put the conditioner on, go watch a movie, and wash it out later. When you have black girl hair, once we wash, we've gotta do the whole press and get in the edges and everything. That's a lot of heat to go back to straight on a daily basis.

Aja Naomi King

Your artistry is a muscle that needs to be exercised, so if all you are doing is auditioning, you'll never get the satisfaction of fulfilling the need to play the part.

Aja Naomi King

I come from a family of storytellers. Growing up, my father would make up these stories about how he and my mother met and fell in love, and my mother would tell me these elaborately visual stories of growing up as a kid in New York, and I was always so enrapt.

Aja Naomi King

Sometimes people just need to feel heard, and being an actor has taught me to really listen.

Aja Naomi King

Strength doesn't mean an absence of pain.

Aja Naomi King

As artists, we thrive when we can express our comfort and our discomfort. If a certain scene is really challenging for us, if we're in an environment where we feel safe, we're able to do our work.

Aja Naomi King

My hair routine is to let someone else do it.

Aja Naomi King

I love thigh highs, heels, shorts, or a skirt.

Aja Naomi King

When I was younger, it was harder for me to find a black eyeliner that would actually show up on my skin. Being a dark-skinned woman, when you find something that actually shows up on your face, you love it even more.

Aja Naomi King