Ariana DeBose has become "healthier" since she learned to deal with criticism.
The 33-year-old actress started out with a career in theatre before she won an Oscar for her role as Anita in the 2021 remake of 'West Side Story' and noted that she has been on her "own personal journey" with accepting negative views of herself over the course of her years in show business.
She told UsWeekly: "I have had quite the journey with criticism over the last few years. Or at least for me, it was my own personal journey. And I think you have to get really good at taking things with a grain of salt.
"And when I’ve had those moments where I have felt heavily criticised or critiqued, I do take a minute and consider the source or sources. And I have decided for myself, and it has helped me create a healthier way of being."
The 'Kraven the Hunter' star has decided to disregard the opinions of anyone who is "not in her arena" because it is "wholly uninteresting" to her nowadays, even though she thinks that negative opinions tend to come first and foremost in today's world.
She said: "There’s a great quote that’s like, ‘Don’t take advice from people who are not in the arena, do not listen to criticism from people who are not in the arena. That has been very helpful to me. I don’t necessarily think that all criticism is bad criticism, but I think the society we’re living in today, the first thing we do is criticise. It’s as if we have lost the ability to see the light in something or the intention behind something.
"The first thing we do is find fault or why it’s less than. And that is so wholly uninteresting to me. I just don’t take advice or listen to criticism from people who are not in the arena anymore."
