Just to be true to myself, which is why I did this movie. I figured everyone was going to freak out and say, 'Why would you do that after Dorothy Dandridge?' My answer is 'Because I can.' And that feels really good to be comfortable saying that.

I'm not done with love, but I refuse to settle.

I never wanted to be a model. My modelling career was nothing but a stepping stone to my acting career and that's all I ever saw it as. A pointless rock in the river that has to be stepped on in order to get to the meaningful oasis of acting.

I've pretty much learned I can let that [being black] hinder me if I want to ... or I can fight for different kinds of roles.

What's hardest for me to swallow is when there is a love story, say, with a really high-profile male star and there's no reason I can't play the part. They say, 'Oh, we love Halle, we just don't want to go black with this part.'

Sexiness is a state of mind - a comfortable state of being. It's about loving yourself in your most unlovable moments.

I think a smart person today realizes that you have to be part of the art films that are done just for the sake of the art.