Growing up, Djimon says that he always maintained a sense of Africa, even though he left the continent at a young age. He was able to use that knowledge during preparation with Blood Diamond's director, Ed Zwick. "We had an amazing director who was so open-minded," Djimon says. "It's so rare to work with directors who are that great, who are also open to hear other people's input." Although Djimon has no children of his own, he says his culture also helped him prepare for a role as a father. "You've been to Africa many times," Djimon says to Oprah. "You know how many kids younger aged that [take] care of the babies. … I grew up like that. I grew up in a big household where we took care of other relatives' kids."