Some people study a text very deeply. The people are my text. I study their words and what their words sound like, over and over again.

President Obama called for a 'we' nation in his Inauguration Address. Art convenes. It is not just inspirational. It is aspirational. It pricks the walls of our compartmentalized minds, opens our hearts and makes us brave. And that's what we need most in our country today.

I mean, I think that - as an actress, in particular, I'm basically a fool, and I see the world upside down.

For me, first of all, I love people, I love ideas.

If you say a word often enough it becomes you.

I happen to be a hopeaholic. I tend to look at problems as an opportunity to do some work.

Many people are afraid to talk about race because it's so emotionally loaded. We don't have the vocabulary to talk about it. Every day, our vocabulary seems more and more inadequate.