Quotes from Yvonne Orji

I worked for a company called Population Services International, a social marketing company advocating healthy behaviors. We had a big branding campaign with celebrities to help educate about the proper use of mosquito nets, for example, to help prevent malaria.

I don't know who I'll end up with, but whoever he is must have a strong religious commitment, must be someone who loves God.

For me, comedy was deftly terrifying.

I had my masters in public health, and the goal was to be a doctor, and organic chemistry let me know that that was not going to happen, as did my fear of blood.

On TV, as in life, white folks are allowed to make mistakes, but usually, black people aren't.

My mom would always say, 'Hair is a woman's beauty.' I cut my hair all off. I was completely bald, and that was, like, 'What in the world?' My mom was like, 'What happened?' She had so many questions.

There's random people calling my phone: 'Your mother gave me your number.' My mother has tried to set me up so many times long-distance.

Black girls can make the best girlfriends.

You can't say you're an actor if you've never acted, and you can't act if no one gives you an opportunity, but they won't give you an opportunity because you've never acted. You're like, 'What in the world? Someone give me a chance!'

I want to do more good work. That's very much my parents' influence in me.

How many shows on TV do you see young black people, both women and men, really embody a full-fledged human being, flaws and all?

A lot of times, especially in the black community, where therapy is talked about, it's like, 'Just go to church.'

I was bullied because I have this thick Nigerian accent.

I'm grounded in who I am.

My faith has really been the biggest asset of my career. It has grounded me and let me focus on what's important.

Over the years, my relationship with God has changed my life for the better - it's grown me up, given me a sense of purpose, and grounded me in my identity.

Don't take it personally if you're met with opposition. Work hard anyway.

On a man, I love Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille. But I wear Orchid Soleil - I love a sweet smell.

I can only see what's in front of me, but God can see what's behind, what's ahead of me, what's beside me, and it just makes it so much easier to release control, cuz at the end of the day, if He brought me to it, He's gonna have to bring me through it.

I went to an all-girls boarding school in Maryland. I used to laugh at the girls in the theater program - I was pre-med, National Honors Society; I was on that track.

I was looking around this room, this sea of industry folk. If I had have worn black and white, somebody would have asked me to get them a cocktail; the only other people of colour there were servers.

I grew up with three older brothers, so I'm very much a tomboy in real life.

A lot of people hustle differently, and I was like, 'You know what, let me hustle and create, and let me have something to show,' cuz my hustle led to opportunity.

There's a lot of negative speak about what it means to be an immigrant. I'm like, 'OK, I don't know where that came from.' We do the dirty jobs. We do the good jobs. We get the job done.