I was one of the serious studiers. I'm not somebody who just shows up and gets a hundred on a test.

I think you find pieces of yourself in every character you portray.

When you have parents who are recognizable, there's a certain part of you that wants to know that people you meet are able to not get clouded by that.

We live in a melting pot. More and more, people are some kind of mixture. Even if you're Caucasian, you're a mixture of something.

I was one of the serious studiers. I'm not somebody who just shows up and gets a hundred on a test.

As I've gotten old I've really listened to a wide spectrum of music, whether it's The Carpenters, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z or Lauryn Hill. I've kinda' run the gamut, and in listening to so many different styles, you come to take bits and pieces from all of it.

I'm a pretty private person. I'm not "out there" out there. From living in New York City, I developed a certain awareness that you have to have when you live by yourself.