Naomie Harris got bullied in school because she is an "oddball".
Naomie Harris
The 'Moonlight' star has admitted she "retreated into a world of her own imagination" when a class bully turned everyone against her.
She said: "I think there was a lot of jealousy towards me. I have always been an oddball. I didn't have many friends, and the class bully turned everyone against me, so I retreated into a world of my own imagination. In hindsight that was a blessing, because acting is all about escaping to an imaginary world."
And the 42-year-old actress was always told no growing up but being bullied "fuelled her ambition" to make it as an actress.
She added to The Sunday Times' Style magazine: "What I heard so much when I was growing up was, 'You'll never make it, you're black, you're a woman, it's really hard out there, there's so much racism in the industry, how are you going to overcome it?' I just heard the word no. But being bullied fuelled my ambition and gave me an immense desire to prove something."
Naomie previously revealed she enjoys a "challenge" in her career.
She said: "That's the joy of it. I want to keep my career as varied as possible. I want to keep challenging myself, that is what keeps it exciting. What is advantageous [about my job] is that we're in a time of flux, in which people are realising that old models of doing business aren't working. Before you'd just create a blockbuster script, add the right names in the mix, get a fancy director, and 'bob's your uncle,' we have a hit. It simply doesn't work like that anymore."
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