When I got out of acting school, I was lucky to have gotten any job at all. A lot of people hiring African American actresses - it was right after 'Roots,' and for society, not me, it was great. Nice richly dark-skinned people was the fashion, and I was not.

Confidence is the mark of a hopeful disposition.

I have never been in a violent movie or television show.

You know if we were to look back and how we were in 1955 living in Jim Crow, living in segregation, living in segregated schools, it's hard to believe that it was America, but it really was.

My main concern is theater, and theater does not reflect or mirror society. It has been stingy and selfish, and it has to do better.

I am interested in personal stories because that's when people become expressive, spontaneous and heartfelt.

Movies, as evidenced by a chorus of protesting and celebrating Americans, influence broader trends.