When I was in college…– Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
When I was in college, it was on the recommendation of a friend of mine. He recommended that I take an acting class, and so I kind of did. I was very open to feedback and open to suggestions. I had a little bit of space in my schedule, and I guess, as the story […]
I had taken an acting class at Berkeley – I was on …– Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
I had taken an acting class at Berkeley – I was on the track team, and a friend of mine on the team said, ‘You should take an acting class. It’s just like recess.’ So I viewed it as a simple credit.
When I think about it…– Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
When I think about it, I was working very hard the summer before I applied to graduate school. I was going to the library every day in the summer. I read a play a day for about three months. I was taking audition classes, and I was reciting lines to myself and acting as my […]
I was studying architecture at Berkeley when my …– Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
I was studying architecture at Berkeley when my father passed away in 2007. We knew he had cancer, but we didn’t expect it to escalate so rapidly. In my mind, it was like, ‘He’ll pull through.’ When he didn’t, I didn’t understand. I was 21, and my best friend had died.
I did not sit down and watch ‘Baywatch’ growing …– Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
I did not sit down and watch ‘Baywatch’ growing up. But I do specifically remember it coming on, and I remember it going off. I watched something that came on right before and then going back to that channel to watch what was coming on afterwards.
My father was Muslim, and my mom is Christian…– Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
My father was Muslim, and my mom is Christian, and we moved from New Orleans to Oakland, so I always had this appreciation for different cultures.
I wanted to be an architect…– Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
I wanted to be an architect, and I ended up at my job in San Francisco, and if you would have asked me then, that was one of the greatest jobs that had happened to me in terms of my career.