As Africans Americans we often think about the tragic stories associated with our lineage, but there are a lot of triumphs. Traveling helps you learn about other aspects of our history, like the story of Christ the Redeemer. It's empowering and inspiring.

Miracle at St. Anna.' I was challenged by Spike Lee. When he offered me the film, he looked me square in the eye and said, 'You start this film off and you end this film. I don't want a dry eye in the theatre. Can you pull that off?' He was dead serious.

When you are really in love, you become vulnerable, and insecurities come out of nowhere.

Just because you fall in love with someone doesn't mean that your families are going to fall in love with each other.

Being able to travel and see the world really makes me appreciate the blessings in my life. There are so many people that will never get a chance to see some of the things that I've seen during my travels. I'll never take that for granted.

'Fast & Furious' is a well-oiled machine. Those guys really know what they're doing. The guys that work behind the scenes are just as important as the ones in front of the cameras. They are car enthusiasts. They live and breathe this world.

I've been very blessed to work in some films that I'm very proud of. When you're going to commit yourself to a series, to a certain degree, you're almost saying, "Okay, some of these opportunities, I'm just not going to be available for," so it has to be something that you really, really are passionate about.