Jeffrey Wright had "a disdain for making money" at the start of his career.
Jeffrey Wright has explained how his career has evolved
The 58-year-old actor wasn't motivated by money during his younger years - but becoming a dad changed his entire outlook on life.
The Hollywood star - who has Elijah and Juno with his ex-wife Carmen Ejogo - told The Independent: "Early on, I had a disdain for making money.
"In my self-righteous way, with the self-righteousness of youth, I thought it was impure. I never wanted to work in sitcoms. I didn’t want to ‘create the brand’. I didn’t want to placate the market."
Jeffrey believes his mom helped to instil really good values in him.
The award-winning actor shared: "I was an only child, so there was a lot of focus on me.
"My mom had high expectations. As a teenager, I was an athlete. I played American football and lacrosse. I was a goalie in lacrosse and my mom would come to my games. I could have a stellar game. I could have made 20 saves and only let one goal in and she might ask me, ‘What happened? Why did you let that one in?’
"I was in elementary school. There was a grade I was given. ‘Very good’. That was the highest you could get. But she didn’t know that. She said, ‘Why didn’t you get excellent?'"
Jeffrey ultimately took care of his mom after was diagnosed with cancer.
And although she's now passed away, Jeffrey believes she's played a huge role in his success.
He said: "At the same time, no one – when I needed help the most, whether as a kid or an adult – was more reliable and there for me than her. At the worst times in my life, she was my rock and saviour."
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