I'm just hoping that, as more black artists take control of the narratives that are out there, more opportunities will come around for artists of colour. We want to make the same waves that the white artists do.
When you're a Black actress, the box that we often get put in is so small. And me being a dark-skinned Black actress, the opportunities become so limited in a way that is just wrong. It's not fair. I'm so capable of playing a wide variety of roles. It comes down to whether or not I'm given the opportunity to do it.
People will definitely know that my art has something to say.
I remember growing up and feeling like I didn't really see much of myself represented. Or if I did, there were only a few types of roles that had authority.
We all live in different worlds and situations, so what's the issue with representing that on screen?
I don't want to be put into a box.
What does it mean when I wear something that makes me look like a Disney Princess? Versus something that's like 'ooh, maybe Kiki Layne can be a sex symbol.' Because these are things that, sometimes dark skin actors with natural hair, we don't get put into those types of conversations.
Well, I used to model back in high school, and I was one of those people that, every week I was tuning in to 'America's Next Top Model.'
Watching 'Moonlight,' I just recognized this patience in the film - allowing moments to live and linger - and I just thought that was so beautiful.
I think with the 'Fresh Prince,' there were all of these really interesting personalities and characters, and yet there's so much love in that household.
Seeing all of these beautiful brown faces and having that patience for them to live in whatever it was that they were living in; I was just so blown away by the artistry that I recognized in 'Moonlight' - the colors, the music.
I think I learned the value of being more patient with myself.
To see a young black woman being loved for just who she is - her hair, her skin, her clothes - is powerful.
We're seeing more black women saying: 'This is who I am; this is what I've been given.' And it's beautiful.
Instead of asking for permission, we're seeing more artists and creatives taking control over the stories we tell.
I want to push the boundaries on the roles that have historically been given to actresses who look like me. There is so much more we can do. There always has been.
Fashion is another opportunity for me to break through boundaries and to be seen wearing things.
It's not lost on me to have the ability to be wearing custom Dior or Gucci, with my box braids or my bantu knots. It's another opportunity to show that Black girls belong in these places and that what I naturally bring as a Black girl belongs as well.
Acting is communication. It's giving and receiving.
'Beale Street' is such an intimate story that I think it requires intimate connections between the artists that are a part of it.
