Quotes from Noma Dumezweni

My mum's a single mum, I'm a single mum, and you do find yourself rushing around just to make sure everything's all right.

I wasn't very academic at school, but the Wolsey Youth Theatre was the saving of me.

I am very blessed to have this experience of being a parent, but do not negate me from this industry because I am a parent.

At the very beginning, being a parent did impact how I go about this business.

To acknowledge the beginnings of people is a beautiful thing.

I have been that actor who's watched peers and thought, 'God, they're doing well. I'll never get there.'

The only question we should ask is, 'Are they good?' I've met great actors, black and white, and I've met bad actors, black and white.

I'm a great company actor, a great supporting actor. I serve the piece.

I moved to London, and it's a cliche to say that London is a melting pot, but it's true - I didn't stand out anymore.

For me, you could say my big West End debut was 'Cursed Child,' but I'm in my 40s, and it's like, 'When is that beginning?'

Family - it's all about family. Families feeling safe and finding your safe place.

Whoever we are, we have to carve something out of our lives. I would like to be on my deathbed going, 'I've enjoyed that. I went through the rollercoaster of it, but I've appreciated it.'

If I think even a week ahead, I get terrified. My big thing is trying to enjoy the moment as much as I can.

The weight of expectation is huge. But for me, that pressure has been outweighed by getting text messages from mums I know saying how huge it is for their mixed-race daughters that I am playing Hermione.

I now realise I'm a great actor.

I remember, being young is a scary, wonderful feeling.

I arrived in this country as a refugee child with my sister and my mother.

I've always been curious about the other worlds we can shift into in our imaginations.

Stop worrying what other people think.

I am so passionate about representation because, growing up, I didn't see myself, and now people can say, 'I see myself there.' We're all trying to find where we are.

I am a black woman who has been given this character called Hermione to play on the stage. But actually, we've all grown up with the books, with Emma Watson playing her in the films. Imagery is so strong.

I did fringe theatre for so many years, and then I got my first play at the RSC, which was an amazing feeling, but I was 30 and had started acting in my early twenties.

I tried twice to get into drama school and didn't, so I worked my way up through the fringe.

In your 20s and 30s, everything is possible. But then, sooner than you think, men walk past you in the street and don't look twice at you unless you're wearing a fabulous outfit.