Harlem for me is Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Washington, D.C., in one place. You have very significant churches that have had national ramifications. At the same time, you have politics. On top of all that, you have entertainment because you have 70 years of music that came out of here, and if you scratch that, gangsterism happens.
— Mike Colter
Before I starred in 'Million Dollar Baby,' I wasn't really a boxer. I just worked hard to learn as much as I could before we were there on set.
The work is done; it is what it is. You do the work, and you hope people like it, and if they don't, don't read it. I don't read reviews. I don't have social media, so I'll stay away from that; it's easy.
No, no. I draw the line there. Anything that's going to show an outline of my manhood is not on.
Cops and criminals aren't that different. They just play by different sets of rules. And the lines get blurred. There's no such thing as 'right' and 'wrong.' There's always a grey area. There are always hypocrisies.
I didn't sit around thinking, 'I'd love to play Luke Cage,' but when the character was presented, I did my research, and I was just like, 'This is a real gift. He's a great character, and I'm happy to have a chance to take a crack at him.'
I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have a lot of hobbies. It's not because I don't have interests; it's just that I don't have the time.
I respond to women who have their stuff together, who are in charge, who don't need men to do things for them. I want a woman to have her own thing, you know? My wife is very smart. She's got a doctorate degree; she's got her own career going. She doesn't need me to take care of her.
I'm pretty relaxed on what people should be able to do as long as they're not hurting anybody else.
What I like about my character: Luke Cage is a person first and foremost. We do have other black superheroes, but he's important because he's touchable. Luke has moments when he has to try to forget his pain, but then, unlike the rest of us, he's also able to channel that frustration into fighting bad guys. Real martyrs aren't trying to be martyrs.
When Barack Obama got elected, I remember being in Harlem specifically. I remember watching that whole part of town just swell. People walked the streets, but it wasn't a riot - it wasn't mayhem. It was a unified feeling of euphoria.
I think all actors, when they're not working, say, 'If I can get to this point where I'm working on a consistent basis, I'll be happy.' Of course, then, if that happens for you, and you're lucky, you find some other reason to complain. There's a joke: 'If you want to hear an actor complain, give him a job.'
Acting, really, is a lot of mental fatigue, emotional fatigue, concentration... it's mentally draining.
It serves anyone, when they're going into some project, to try to distance themselves from the material so you can really have an objective viewpoint.
The black community wants to buy things and want to see themselves portrayed in a certain way. And if they don't like what they see, then they won't spend their money. Everyone's not gonna always relate to Captain America; everyone is not going to always relate to Thor. A lot of characters just don't speak to them.
Sometimes you don't know the effect of words until you hear it used on you.
Comic book heroes are an important part of our culture, so I think we're actually utilizing comic book heroes in a much more in-depth way than before. They have such potential, and I think we're maximizing the potential.
I'm really starting to get bored with myself, doing the same workouts. 'Oh here we go again.' I need someone to crack the whip. I need someone to kick my butt because sometimes I can end up taking it pretty easy on myself.
I am not walking around looking like Luke Cage does at all.
If you've ever been to Harlem, there's always something playing on the street, and there's this energy that feels different to anywhere else in New York.
We are in a diversity age. I talk about the lack of diversity for black Americans, but what about the Asian Americans? You don't see them very often. They have a show called 'Fresh off the Boat.' No one is talking about that show. I saw it, and I found that show completely offensive, but I'm not Asian American.
I think sometimes we get wrapped up in awards... ultimately, it's just a moment in time, and it passes.
Netflix shook it up, brought this whole new generation of people who said, 'I watch things when I want to watch, how I want to watch, where I want to watch, and that's something that no one's going to ever forget.' This has changed the game completely, and I think it's the tip of the iceberg.
I like to take a break, but at the same time, I think most actors are not very good at sitting around doing nothing, because we like to work.
People forget, most of the times we audition with people who aren't necessarily actors. So it doesn't matter who or what's in front of you: you still have to have the same realism and invested emotions.
A lot of times in life, women want to talk, but men don't want to listen, and if they do want to listen, they turn it back to themselves.
When I was playing Bishop, I would always walk on set thinking, 'This is my show; this is a show all about me.'
Luke Cage isn't going to throw a pity party for himself. He literally says to himself, 'This is the world I'm in. These are the circumstances I have.' He's a self-made man. He's trying to continuously build, and that's what's interesting about him. He's a work in progress.
It's a part of my DNA that I've never really taken time to revel in success.
New York City is a big city but a small city when it comes to theater.
It's nice to be recognized, but at the same time, there are always consequences. You may get fame, but you lose anonymity. You lose a certain sense of who you are.
I don't think Luke Cage as a superhero is something that has changed dramatically from the '70s to now. He's a black man going through the same thing as other people of colour - it's just that he has superpowers.
We all act differently in certain places. We don't want to admit it, but we're different where we grew up than we are with our family and than we are with the guys that we went to college with or our fraternity brothers. People just exist differently. It's small, subtle things, but different colors come out. That's all there is to it.
I see fans all the time. They're always very complimentary, and they're always very eager to talk and to share their experiences or get a selfie. They're really, really loyal. And intense.
Some people act like there is so much mystery in getting fit, but the only secret there is to making it happen is time.
Sometimes we just sit around and sit on our hands and don't do anything because it's like, 'Hey, that's not my problem.' You can't do that when you're a superhero.
I'm a bit bored of going to the gym! I'm like, 'Someone put me out of my misery - I can't do this anymore!'
If you're not enjoying your work, what's the point?
I think anyone in New York City could look at Luke Cage and say, 'Hey, this guy could help me out.' I don't want him to just seem like a relevant hero for only black people.
I'm always very even-keeled, and I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Part of acting is always just being available emotionally and open to people.
As long as you can throw people a curveball, that's what you're looking for. Because the minute they can define you, the minute they think they know exactly who you are, is when it starts to wear thin.
Dialogue is not always the best way to show emotion, to show your thought process, or to reveal yourself, as a character.
I got lucky. To be frank, I was surrounded by white teachers who never did the whole, 'You're never going to amount to nothing' thing you hear about in the South. Instead, they would say, 'You're really smart. You can do this.' If I hadn't gotten that, I don't know where I'd be.
I always make a joke: 'Don't look into the future; it's too bright.' That's as positive as I can be.
I think, in a career, you have several breaks that lead to a big break. Small things here and there all add up to cracking away at the dam. Then the dam breaks.
My mother wanted to be an actress. She wanted to follow her dreams, and she never really got a chance to do that. I feel like I'm following her dream in a way.
Not being white has never prevented me from enjoying Luke Skywalker or Han Solo. These are heroes of mine.
When you're a black man in a hoodie, all of a sudden you're a criminal. That's something we shouldn't have to deal with, but we do. It's a double standard. We can't cover our head when it's cold and raining because God forbid someone sees us and puts our life in danger.
My family, they're not really that involved in what I do. Career-wise, they're very supportive. They're involved after the fact. I don't tell them anything, usually, until I'm finished filming it or mid-way through filming it. It's just a job, and I approach it that way.
