If you want something, work hard for it, go after it. I can't worry about all the 'no's, because I believe there's a yes, and I've been very fortunate to find those in my career and made the most of those opportunities.
I was nurtured by Ralph Farquhar and then, later, by Sara Finney-Johnson and Vida Spears, two black women. So, I actually was nurtured by my culture, in a safe environment that allowed me to build my confidence. And Debbie Allen was one of my mentors, along with Stan Lathan.
Any form of media is an opportunity to be a mirror and reflection of what we are experiencing more in the details of our life. What makes it fun and unique in a lot of ways is how that journey is changing just by the mere fact of the current time.
I love writing about black women, but if you go beyond that, we're human beings - and because we're human beings, it's universal for everybody.
A staple of my personality is that I want what I want - and I'm willing to do without until I get it.
I believe in divine order all the time.
We still have a lot of work to do in American culture. More open-mindedness is happening - in some cases rapidly, in some, slowly.
When I walk into a room, I know my storytelling has value and I have to sell my idea. I have to help people see the financial value and gain in my work.
I'm trying to talk about challenging subjects people might not like and trying to find relief as we discuss it.
When I was in '97, I didn't know I was in a very major moment. But with the privilege of reflection, I do. And that's what artists should do - they should help illuminate and reflect the human condition.
I can't disappear. I come from a family of beautiful women, strong women - and 'strong' defined by being themselves.
I'm not afraid of stereotypes. There are some truths to it - but the problem is that people keep sort of owning that one thing to be the truth.
In 'Girlfriends,' I was exploring the idea of having it all. In 'Being Mary Jane,' I was exploring the idea that you have to be the center of everything.
One of the most powerful things we have is to tell our story.
Sometimes, we only get to know someone as one aspect of who they are. Then you start peeling back the layers and understanding more and more about who they are - their vulnerabilities, their fears, their joys, all those other words that equal humanity.
Being black, Latino, or Asian is not a genre. Romantic comedies, thrillers, action - those are genres. I think there's a lot of people who want to have the conversation. I don't think people are afraid of it, I just think it's the time to have that conversation. Race is not a genre.
I often attribute my screenwriting to journalism because they drill in the who, what, when, where and why - but we really need to land on that why. That's what I've been exploring in my writing for many years and trying to get better at.
I think pregnancy, like life, is what you make it. I received a good hand. I'm thankful and blessed and so peaceful and can't wait to welcome my son.
With 'Girlfriends,' even with 'The Game,' or even with 'Being Mary Jane,' I didn't get a chance to wrap up the story and, more specifically, show love.
I'm very connected and passionate about what I put out in the world, and I want to get things safely to shore.
