How David Oyelowo Sold His Father on the Idea of Becoming an Actor

David Oyelowo, 38, stars as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the film Selma. Born in England and raised in his parents' native Nigeria, David earned a scholarship to the distinguished London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and went on to become the first black actor to play an English king at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Still, David says, his father wasn't totally supportive when he first told him he wanted to be an actor after he "sneakily applied for drama school."

"You know, the notion of being an artist, being an actor, for a Nigerian family is bizarre," he says. "This is not a proper job." In the video above, David shares the key argument that changed his father's mind.

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