You know, real artists, we expose our flaws. We long for intimacy.

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.

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

We who are in the arts are at the risk of being in a popularity contest rather than a profession. If that fact causes you despair . . . pick another profession. Your desire to communicate must be bigger than your relationship with the chaotic and unfair realities . . . We have to create our own standards of discipline.

Discipline — both mental and physical — is crucial.

That artists are called to be more responsible and 'true' is a tip of hat to their power.

I am lucky: I have fantastic doctors and a fantastic dentist.