I never really loved school through junior high, but then I started running track my freshman year, and I was just like, 'Wow, this is cool!'
Especially in this industry, women challenge men much more now because we're saying, 'We can do it, too.'
I've tried to be flexible in my career by doing a little bit of everything and that's worked for me.
A Modern Mom to me is not always someone that juggles a career and family. A Modern Mom is a woman who takes care of herself on the inside and the outside.
People love to see themselves on screen in a way that makes sense and seems on point.
A lot of black women still carry a lot of pain when they see black men with women who aren't black, and that's really unfortunate that that could make us so upset. It has to do with self esteem.
I make smart food choices. I love food, especially fish, chicken, and beef.
I create my own backstory regardless of if I'm told something about the background or not. There's always more that you can develop in your head that makes a character more layered, more honest.
It's funny that until I actually met my husband, I never thought I'd get married.
When you see all the suits in the room, everybody in the room has on suits, you know, the women, too. We're not wearing dresses and chiffon and we're not as fun as we used to be.
I learned a lot from my Mom. My favorite lesson: remember there is no such thing as a certain way to parent and to remember that you are learning along with your child - it's ok to make mistakes.
My mother was a single mom, and most of the women I know are strong.
There's a difference between actresses of color and actresses not of color. If you look at how big my movies are.
If your woman is asleep every time you get home, she's just really tired. Of you.
You always make a film with the hope that all types of people will want to see your work and that it doesn't matter about your color, but unfortunately it still does.
I know in my own marriage I stayed in it to provide my son with what I thought was a stable background and to give him what I thought was the family life a child should have with two parents. But that isn't always the best way, and it took me taking my son to therapy after the divorce to really see it.
We know that's the bottom line: if money is made, the powers that be pay attention.
If anyone has the opportunity to connect the dots and look at the directors I've worked with, from TV to film, there are some heavy hitters, from Taylor Hackford to John Singleton.
I like working with people. I like talking to people.
It is impossible to give a performance that makes you unaware of the fact that you're watching an actor and be really involved in all aspects of filmmaking.
