I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I've done it all. I've worked as a clown, literally, at children's parties.
I used to hear people say nobody can prepare you for fame, and it's actually very true. But there is such beauty that comes with it when you're able to use your platform in a positive way.
My absolute idols growing up were Michael Jackson and Prince, and so, to get the stamp of approval from someone like Timbaland whom I know that these artists respect, that is a huge feat.
Rob Hardy is such a great director.
I have Jewish friends. I have Middle Eastern friends. I have Spanish and Italian and British and Scottish and German friends and Austrian friends, and guess what? They all deal with homophobia. It's an earthling epidemic; it's not isolated in the black community.
My family is from Elmhurst, Queens, 54th Avenue, but I was born in Northern California.
As an artist, you want to do roles that challenge you and say something.
'Mighty Ducks' was a great experience, and I don't shy away from that.
There are projects I've done, such as 'Queen,' where I played Halle Berry and Danny Glover's son, where I'm so extremely proud of the work that I did that I will sit down and watch that any time.
If you change because of fame, that's not the right thing. But if you change because of growth, that's normal... The whole fame thing hasn't hit me. And I hope it kind of doesn't.
I know about homophobia in the music industry - not just in hip-hop. Obviously, we're dealing with homophobia in hip-hop; we're dealing with homophobia in the black community.
When a television show like 'Scandal' becomes the biggest show in recent history, suddenly advertisers and networks want to jump on that. And what it's showing is that people want to see diversity.
I keep saying that, if Samuel L. Jackson and Bette Davis could have a baby, it would be Taraji P. Henson. To me, she's one of the greatest character actors of our generation, let alone leading ladies. She's just phenomenal in everything she does.