Shari Sebbens Quotes & Sayings

“People look at me, and they don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal. I always thought I'd be the white person in a black play.”

“I was shocked when I moved to Sydney how very few indigenous people I came across. And so when I go to places like Maroubra or Redfern or Waterloo or Erskineville, I feel more at home because of the people I'm around - anywhere I can see a face that reflects someone that looks like my family, I feel much more at home.”

“People look at me and they don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal.”

“It takes a lot of courage as an actor to take time off for family. But family is everything.”

“A lot of my identity as an Aboriginal person is about family.”

“I look forward to the day when indigenous actors can play Hamlet and Ophelia and not just Othello and Desdemona.”

“I've never been one to bow down to people who try to question my identity because I don't fit their mould of what an Aboriginal Australian is supposed to be or look like.”

“It had never occurred to me that my colour - or lack of it - was an issue for some people, but then I moved to Sydney, and apparently it was. People look at me and don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal. Thankfully, my mother raised me well in knowing where I come from and who I am, and I'm proud of that.”

“My mum's from Broome, so I'm a saltwater person - Aboriginal people are either freshwater, saltwater or desert mob. So I always feel much more comfortable in close proximity to the beach, even if I'm not necessarily in the water.”

“One of my earliest memories is being backstage at 'Bran Nue Dae' in Darwin when I was about eight. It's such a fun, happy show and a real celebration of being Aboriginal... it felt really great and achievable as a career. It all felt normal.”