I am content that the work that I've done is wonderful.

My mom was always pretty supportive. She saw me do plays and she'd always act out the parts I did. My aunt, who played a big part in my life, was a little bit more reserved, because if they don't see you on TV every week they think you must be starving.

I'm the type of individual that I enjoy watching any different cultural lives, and I see the common humanity even though the hair textures are different or the skin tones are varied.

Of course you want to do all the research that you can, but it's impossible to take a life and the boundaries of an hour and a half, so there is hope there will be understanding about that also.

The three things I said when I came out of school were I want to work consistently, I want to do good work and I want to be paid fairly, and that's happened. But I didn't become an actress for the money. I do it for other reasons.

Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us.

The first time I acted was in high school in Florida, and when I heard that applause I felt so alive and felt that electricity go up my spine.