Malachi Kirby Quotes

Kids under, I’d say, 14 are still maturing; they are still growing. They are still understanding themselves. To hit them with something like ‘Roots,’ to hit them with this particular period of time, it’s important to discuss the matters beyond the program itself.

You‘re always going to have typecasting, especially with TV.

I believe it’s important to have equal opportunities as a black actor. My way of fighting for it is through my art, by not accepting that there are roles that aren’t for me.

My dad passed when I was 6. I found out when I was about 21 that my dad always said acting would be the making of me. Where he got that from, I have no idea.

Schoolkids – black and white – would call me Kunta Kinte as a cuss. If ever my hair was particularly messy, if ever I looked scruffy at school, I would be called Kunta Kinte. My first impression was that it was bad to be African and bad to be associated with him.

Even around my family, I hardly spoke. I was very reserved.

I wasn’t raised Christian. I certainly had to seek Him out and find Him, and it’s changed my life. I’m so glad I did.

Kunta Kinte is the closest thing I’ve ever seen… to a superhero. He’s amazing. He’s inspirational.

I was taught about slavery, but it was the ancient Egyptians. That’s the closest I got to African history.

I was acting before I had given my life to Christ. But the effect that God has had on my actual career itself is now completely different.

Mum used to say that when I went out of the house, I represented her. I took that seriously. So I didn’t get involved with a lot of things. I held myself in a particular way.

One of the biggest things that I took from playing Kunta Kinte was where his strength came from in knowing where he was from.

I think about Shakespeare. Because there have been hundreds of variations of Shakespeare’s plays since they’ve been written, and I believe it’s because they’re important. They’re still relevant today. ‘Roots’ is still relevant today. The idea that we shouldn’t tell this story again is very strange to me.

‘Roots’ focuses on a particular group of people who defy the odds and win, eventually, even if it isn’t in their lifetimes. This is, for me, a very positive story and a very empowering one, if only we have that perspective on it.

I found that there were things that God could reveal to me that I could never get myself physically.

My roots go back to West Africa, but my last name is Kirby, which is not an African name.

I was thinking, ‘What is it about Kunta Kinte that allowed him to live such a long life?’ For me, what came down to it was his spirit and his knowledge of self.