One of my foolish qualities is to jump boldly, and then think about it later.

Honestly, I do spend most of my time between films trying to get the next one made.

I encountered Newton when I was growing up, and it has kind of made me who I am, although I came to love Boston. It's a complicated city. Some of the smartest people in the world are in Boston. How many institutions of higher learning are in that one area? It's a pool of intelligence. It's a great town. You can encounter racism anywhere. I have a lot of nostalgic feelings about Boston. It was a cool place to grow up.

I wanted to pay homage to someone who was such an important literary figure in my life. I think Langston Hughes would be proud of the picture Black Nativity, yet it's a contemporary story about a family living in Harlem. I named the lead character Langston, put a little bit of poetry in there, and some Langston Hughes quotes, and, of course, his stage play, Black Nativity.

I'm able to inspire other people, to see the potential of a career, they can look to me and see that they can do it.

If I was not a film-maker I'd probably be a musician. I like Kanye West, Jay-Z, R&B, classical, jazz and all kinds of music, but I'd say soulful World Music is my favorite.

I love working with young artists. Jacob Latimore was the first kid that I auditioned. After he walked out, I turned to my husband and said, "I think that's the kid. I don't know if I have to look any further. He's the one!" He's a real star.