Quotes About Cultural

I've always wanted to do an Indian film, but I didn't want to come to India and pretend that I could play an average Bombay girl.

I actually want to write a treatise in defence of pretension. I think the word 'pretension' has become like the word 'ironic' - just this catch-all term to distance people from interesting experiences and cultural engagement and possible embarrassment.

I see hip-hop as going in a self-managing place. It's very culturally controlled and artist-controlled. It's not really based on a label anymore. Everything is pretty much in the control of the artist. Which is amazing.

I began thinking there should be an American phrase book, 'cause I've got an Italian phrase book, and an Arabic one... now a British one. I think it'd be pretty good to have an American phrase book.

I think people are really picky about English accents. When a Brit comes over here and kind of does an OK American accent, everyone's like, 'You were great! Fantastic!' But in England, even if you were doing a pretty good accent, they're like, 'But where are you from?' 'London.' 'What part of London?' Accents are really precious over there.

I really want to do a film in another language. My dad's from Germany, so it'd be really cool to do a film in German. I'm not quite fluent, but I can get there. And my accent's pretty good. I wouldn't feel too out of my element.

I think Danish girls might be a little more chill - at least, that's what I've heard from people who've also dated American girls.

The strength of 'Small Island' is the fact that it deals with heavy issues in a way that is appealing to watch, and it's a story that people can relate to no matter what colour you are.

I ate Bengali food after my parents married and Dad started living with us, in both Willesden and in Delhi for three years, and then we all moved to California. Dad said he could make a really good dal, but I never saw him cook during the whole time we lived together.

My place is cemented in Malayalam films. Malayalam is not my language and it felt alien to me. But for them, I am someone from Karnataka who could deliver.

Early on, I played a Chinese delivery person, and even that, which was very innocuous, felt like I was somehow betraying myself. I felt very self-conscious on set doing that role, with a crew that was almost entirely white.

The first time I played was in Buenos Aires - was in 1983. The dictatorship was in position.

My whole life, I've been getting used to adapting. There are small differences, but culturally, the States and the U.K. are very close.

I like the differences between American and British television dramas.

Because I've seen so many different cultures, I can carry off anything comfortably and with confidence, even dhotis and lungis.

Danish is a different language, even though Danish people understand Swedes, and very few Swedes understand Danish.

Before 'The Last Samurai,' I couldn't believe I could do that. I didn't think I would be able to explain myself and my feelings in English, in a different language. But I could.

In the early '90s, my cousin gave me a Snoop Dogg cassette tape, and the rawness of the lyrics were something new to me.

I'm one of those cats who could listen to Public Enemy and then pop that out and throw an NWA tape in there.

I've always said that, first and foremost, I make films for New Zealanders. They're my target audience. Then after that, if people appreciate my stories from outside this country, then that's an added bonus.

Can you imagine - a blond Tarzan?

When I'm being interviewed, presumably it's because people want to know how I feel about something or what my motivation is, not because they want to hear what I sound like in English. I wouldn't be true to the task if I responded in my unrefined English.

Our common language is English. And our common task is to ensure that our non-English-speaking children learn this common language.

For to change the norms, the very foci of attention, of a cultural system is a difficult task - far more complex than that of changing an individual's attitudes and interests.