You have to get out of your comfort zone in order to grow. And as an actor, you don't become Meryl Streep by doing the same type of comedy. You get there by being challenged. And unfortunately, there's a lack of roles for women of color, so you actually have to be the engineer creating some of those roles.
If a little black girl in Montgomery, Alabama, or some far-reaching region sees something that I do and aspires to do it one day with the knowledge that she can achieve it, then hey, my work is done.
My mom always told me I could do or be anything I dared to dream, and I always wanted to work in the movie industry.
My family supported me before any of this crazy notion of moving out to Hollywood and staking my claim. That support has never waned.
Needless to say, I would have loved to have been a black belt instead of actually just wearing one to hold up my pants!
When you see results, you start to wonder, 'What would happen if I had oatmeal instead of sausage for breakfast?' You start to eat better because you feel better.
The college years are when you sow all your wild oats and become a vampire. By 40, you've lived it up. At least, you hope.
If you tell me I can't eat something, I'll obsess over it and end up overeating!
The fact that women are very young in obtaining their civil rights and African-Americans are young in obtaining their civil rights, I think it's about time that we extend that to all Americans, whether straight, gay, purple, green, black, brown.
I probably wanted to be Pam Grier growing up.
I am an advocate of education. It is the panacea for all that ails us in our society.
You would not believe that Paula Patton and I have the same trainer.
I choose projects that resonate with me on some personal level and projects that I'm afraid to do. If I'm afraid to do them, then I usually say yes, because it means that I'm not ready to go there and deal with certain aspects of the script. And that means that I need to do it, because the things that scare you only make you better and stronger.
You cannot live to please everyone else. You have to edify, educate and fulfill your own dreams and destiny, and hope that whatever your art is that you're putting out there, if it's received, great, I respect you for receiving it. If it's not received, great, I respect you for not.
The way to bring about change is to be proactive and active.
I don't have one role that I want to play. I guess... I want to be a producer. I want to be an activist. I want to be proactive in bringing about work for men, women, boys, girls, everybody who is good at what they do and deserve a shot at it.
I am not trying to conform to an unrealistic model of beauty. I am, however, being proactive in being the healthiest I can be.
I'm probably the most militant person you'll ever meet and I speak my mind without provocation sometimes.
I have tried every diet to lose weight. When you restrict yourself, you're setting yourself up for failure.
I was always a closet lover of acting. My mom was very practical. She never, ever restricted our dreams, always told us we could do or be anything. Then I said, 'Maybe I want to be an actor'. And she said, 'Maybe not that'.
