When I was growing up, my mother would take me to plays and museums, and we'd talk about life. Those times helped shape who I became.

When you have a cast and crew of people who make it light hearted and crack jokes, and break treats, and understand that we are all in this together. That's a biggest plus that you can have.

Mos Def is one of the most creative, intelligent human beings I've had the opportunity to work with. He is fun. The entire time, he would go in and out of different characters, just for the fun of it. Awesome energy.

Seriously, in America there are more big, curvy girls than there are little girls, and men love us, too.

I like to read Octavia E. Butler's 'Wild Seed' over and over again. And J. California Cooper's 'The Wake of the Wind.' That one makes me cry from joy. I'll mourn - I'll actually mourn - and then I'll cry from joy. She's wonderful.

A woman is more than the sum of her parts.

A lot of the girls I grew up with were pregnant by the time they were 16. I just was lucky.