When I was a teacher, I definitely noticed bullying happening, and I noticed people choosing to be quiet when they should speak up. And so for me, as a teacher, it wasn't just about advocating for students who were being picked on but trying to teach the bystanders how to speak up and not be afraid.
I'm not going to run or be silent for fear of keeping a fan base.
One of the things I pride myself on is that my fan base is progressive, but I don't shy away from people who think differently from me. I welcome productive conversations, but it's important for me to not hide where I stand.
It was really important to me to explore how disparate people are connected.
Black women have earned the right to be basic.
I definitely was inspired by drama teachers in high school named Mr. Walsh and Ms. O'Neil, and both of them were very formative in helping me sort of understand theater. But I think my biggest inspiration is that I was a high school drama teacher in real life for four years in the Bronx.
When you're a writer, there is a selflessness that has to happen; you have to have equity with how you treat each of the characters and the information you bring into the room.
As far as the adjectives that I lead with, I think a writer and a comedienne are first. I have never qualified my experience or gender or my race, although I know that's a huge component on how that is used. But I think in order for me to do my job effectively, I have to really be the best at what it is I'm doing.
As far as being a plus-size woman, I play a plus-size character by default, and for me, the visibility - that, I think, is key.
I hope movies like 'Love, Simon' encourage people to be their authentic selves.
I grew up in a funny household, and I love making people laugh. It brings me so much joy.
I remember writing monologues and one-act plays and stuff in high school. I had a project in English that was just a short book of limericks. It was so weird. I enjoyed the challenge and rhyme of it. I was always putting on plays and stuff.
I would just take dolls around the house - there's old VHS footage from my dad, who was an early adapter and had this RCA camera - and it's me taking a Michael Jackson Barbie doll and putting on a show with that.
My bread and butter is rom-com, and if I had to go back and tell my 15-year-old self watching 'When Harry Met Sally' that one day I would be writing a film in the same genre, I would have freaked out.
Being authentic is important to me, and I am not going to present this fluff, fake, sanitized version of myself that doesn't reflect who I am or what my passions and interests are.
I knew I always wanted to major in theater.
Rom-coms are my jam.
When I moved to New York, I really wanted to find my bread job as close to my passion as possible. There's nobility in waiting tables. But I really wanted to find a job in the arts, and so I started teaching.
I feel like theater in high school seems to be sort of like the safe haven for the outsiders and people who don't necessarily fit in. And it was a come-as-you-are sort of class, and it's a come-as-you-are after-school activity.
I was constantly trying to make my family laugh and my parents laugh. It's just something that always felt natural to me. And then I learned how to use my powers for good in high school.
