David Oyelowo

There's something going on here.

And I had that in a teacher called Jill Foster, who, you know, I continued to do drama, but it was baked into me by my parents that that's not a proper job.

That's just not what this is going to be.

And I idolized my father, and so therefore it wasn't going to be that.

But this...

teacher who I remember her accosting me outside of a tube station when I was all set to go and do a law degree and saying, David, I wouldn't say this to any of my other students.

I think you could do acting professionally.

And I didn't even know what that entailed.

And she went, well, have you considered drama school?

I said, I don't know what that is.

And she introduced me to what drama schools are.

And she helped me with my auditions.

And that's how I ended up, well, getting a scholarship to go to Lambda.

And, you know, the full circle of this, because within the last month, I went to see my son at the drama school I went to.

playing in an adaptation of the play that I met my wife doing.

And it made me think all the way back to Jill Foster, that what she gave to me by way of advocacy is now having a generational impact on

Not just for actors I will never meet, my own son.

And when I went to Lambda, I was the only Black student of 300 students at that drama school.

I went to see my son in his play, and I graduated 27 years ago, and I now go and talk at Lambda every now and again.

And a decent portion of the school is people of color from all walks of life, from all over the world.