"I had been working early in my life in films - since I was 11"
About this Quote
“Since I was 11” lands like a timestamp and a receipt. It’s both evidence and explanation, a way to pre-empt skepticism about competence or belonging in an industry that often treats performers of color as interchangeable or “new” regardless of experience. Naidu, best known to many from early, high-impact roles in 1990s independent cinema, is also signaling that his career didn’t begin when audiences started paying attention. It began when he was a kid, inside a machine where children can be professionals before they’re fully people.
The subtext is complicated: starting that young can read as privilege, pressure, or survival, sometimes all at once. The line invites you to hear endurance behind the resume, and maybe a hint of defensiveness too - the need to establish that he’s been doing this long enough to be taken seriously. It’s not a sentimental origin story. It’s a claim to seniority in a business that loves to erase timelines.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Naidu, Ajay. (2026, January 15). I had been working early in my life in films - since I was 11. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-had-been-working-early-in-my-life-in-films--169955/
Chicago Style
Naidu, Ajay. "I had been working early in my life in films - since I was 11." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-had-been-working-early-in-my-life-in-films--169955/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I had been working early in my life in films - since I was 11." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-had-been-working-early-in-my-life-in-films--169955/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
