Quote: About three years later, the project went back up, and I got a callback. I walked into the room and Denzel Washington was there. I couldn't really look at him because I admired him so much. So we read, and I got another callback, number five. [Derek Luke]
Quote: Antwone's story was a story of hope and that's what appealed to me. I needed hope myself at that time. I think all actors give up at some time and think they're never going to make it. [Derek Luke]
Quote: David Mamet challenged me a whole lot. It turned out to be a good learning experience for me. He pushed me to see things through his eyes, and I pushed him to see things through what I believed. It wasn't a tug of war, but there were definitely discussions about direction. [Derek Luke]
Quote: Denzel Washington invoked confidence. When you have confidence, you can do anything. And that's what happened. I learned about being honest and keeping it true, keeping it true in my performance. [Derek Luke]
Quote: Denzel's quality, I think, is his faith. You have all the action in your head and you have to believe in it and just do it. That's what he does and that's what he taught me to do. [Derek Luke]
Quote: He's looking for the president's kidnapped daughter; everybody he calls on to help him is busy, but lo and behold, you look across the room, and I'm waiting for that action. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I had a lot of fun with Val Kilmer. He's like a big kid. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I think it's time to do clean-up for a generation. I believe this is one of the movies that hits home for all colors and all races. Everybody I talk to, black or white, suburban, rich or poor, can relate to rejection, can relate to not having a father or a mother. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I tried to copy some of his mannerisms at first but it didn't work. And then I just let the spirit of the character grow in me and it just took its rightful place. I started to speak the lines and it felt right. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I was working at the store on the Sony studios in Culver City. And I was literally holding a shirt when they came in and told me I'd got the part! It just shows dreams do come true. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I went to college for one semester, and I took every subject I could, and I ended up failing. So I thought to myself, Ever since I was a kid, I've loved expression - and that's when I started thinking about acting. [Derek Luke]
Quote: It's a story about victory that will touch the lives of everyone who watches it. It's powerful. [Derek Luke]
Quote: Oh, my God! My wife and I, boy, we got down that night. On a personal note! [Derek Luke]
Quote: Spartan is about this elite unit of the armed forces named the Delta Force. I play a protege of Val Kilmer's character, and he kind of gives me a hard time. [Derek Luke]
Quote: The first time, I read for a casting director and I don't think I gave him what he wanted, but he had me back two weeks later. After I was done he said, "Come back next Thursday." So I came back for a third time. But the next thing you know, the project shut down. [Derek Luke]
Quote: Then I was working in a store in Newark, New Jersey, and I saw an actor in person, and I got so excited. My whole day changed. That's when I decided to challenge myself to make my dreams become a reality. [Derek Luke]
Quote: A few years ago you couldn't go from TV to film. It was like a 'no no' but I believe when you find a plan and purpose that God has for your life, there's not anything man can do to you. Especially when your faith is not really standing in the wisdom of man, you're really standing in the wisdom of God. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I was watching TV at age 9 or 10, and my mom said that I came from the front room and I told her that I want to act. And she said if you want to do this at 18, then you can. It was a very simple story, yet, I do not even remember the conversation that I had with my mother. Until she reminded me of the story many years later. [Derek Luke]
Quote: Denzel Washington is a person I will always emulate. I emulate him because he focuses on real life. Because of that he has made me a better person. [Derek Luke]
Quote: Hip-hop was my first audience - I would rap in the mirror, walk down the street and listen to my Walkman. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I love hip-hop and you can't tell me I'm not a hip-hop artist. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I loved B.I.G., but not like I liked Tupac, because he was an actor, so I related to him. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I was discovered on the Sony lot through an audition by Denzel Washington. [Derek Luke]
Quote: I went to Jersey City State College to please a family member. I wasn't prepared for school. To say I failed out is putting it nicely. [Derek Luke]
Quote: In my heart of hearts I believe I was made to entertain. [Derek Luke]