It's certain that the death of an actor can be on a television screen playing the same thing every week.

I don't think anyone is black and white and I think we change our minds and our attitudes about certain things as we grow to our maturity.

There's such a grace and understanding in the female persona when women have really come into their own. Part of that is to have children, and to be caring for those children, and not only in the care for them, but also in the nurturing and raising of them, they have to pass on their souls and their intelligence. And all those things can't be taught. It's something that, that in the essence of a woman, the essence of a mother, a mother knows!

I came from a divorced mother and father, obviously mixed race.

I feel that we have come a long way as American people, and we have to start looking at ourselves as human beings.

Many times - especially when I'm playing an historical character - I want to be really on target with how I create that character and really nuanced with who that human being might be. But I don't want to lose the likeness of me or the depth of my own personality. So meditation and my spirituality has helped me to realize that, yes, I want to get out of the way but I also want the ability to hold on to what the audience likes of what they see of me.

I feel that if you can transcend the color of your skin, with your talent, why carry that as a badge or a label?