I'm a member of a very complex and richly valued race.
We lived in a ghetto. I could have pretended I was hard or tough and not a square. I wound up not getting in trouble. I don't consider myself to be especially wise, but I will say that it's pretty clear that some people want to get out and some people don't. I wanted out.
I'm in love with low-rated shows. That's true of 'Men of a Certain Age,' 'Thief,' 'Gideon's Crossing.' I fall in love with projects that are almost freighted with prestige.
I knew that in order to make a more lasting impact, to be on a show that people would watch on a regular basis, I would have to change my thinking.
I'm never going to be an improv comedian.
It's only when you're privy to the conversations and a member of the production team that you can direct the course of a series and make sure it flourishes.
Once your network has lost confidence in you, you're headed for the dustbin of history.
You can't separate the phenomenal birth of unionism in the United States of America from the Pullman porters. This same small group of men, who grew to be 10,000 strong, was also the organizational foundation for the civil rights movement and all of the gains that were made in the '40s and the '50s. That, and the black church.
Leadership is by far the most important quality when it comes to making a show that's going to last and of superb quality, something classy and fun.
I've been involved with great scripts and so-so leadership, and it's clear to me that leadership is the most compelling factor.
What's so fun about doing the same thing again and again? You can only slap the handcuffs on a guy so many times.
'Complicated' is good, in my opinion.
I got tired of going to the barber to keep my fade together, so I just cut it all off.
My goal is to broaden and deepen the range of African-American characters on television, so I always try to show human beings.
Unfortunately, in television today there are very few African-American characters who are human beings. They are typically two-dimensional stereotypes, cookie-cutter types.
I was an engineering student and spent a lot of time in the library, and no one applauds when you finish your calculations.
The distinction is large in my mind. The gay police captain is eventually going to be wearing hot pants and singing 'YMCA.' The police captain who happens to be gay is going to be a huge collection of personality characteristics and motivations.
One of the great upsides about comedy is that you're dealing with really lovely, fun material.
Men are not usually forthcoming in the expression of their emotions.
I think I'd work a little more if I lived in L.A.
