When you look in one direction where Troy's chair was, you could see out through the yard across the street, there was an old cork bar advertisement for five cents. We wanted it to feel like this was real life [in Fences] and that it extended blocks and blocks.

I pray that you all put your shoes way under the bed at night so that you gotta get on your knees in the morning to find them. And while you're down there thank God for grace and mercy and understanding. We all fall short of the glory, we all got plenty.

True desire in the heart for anything good is God's proof to you sent beforehand to indicate that it's yours already.

We just had to stay out-of-the-way [in Fences]. [August Wilson] already wrote a masterpiece. And you really don't know how it's going to work until you get it in front of an audience.

I know, as an actor, I don't like sharing everything with the director. And it's fine if they don't with me.

In Los Angeles, everyone is a star.

We live in a time when people give up too easy.