In the madness, you have to find calm.

It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else's.

I went to an all-boys high school, and they accepted girls in only the two A.P. classes. They had these archaic rules: for example, girls couldn't wear makeup. I found it so outrageous that an all-boys school could tell girls to not wear makeup! So I went on a campaign. I got a petition signed and everything. If a girl wants to wear makeup to boost confidence, why not?

Steve McQueen is a genius. And I think that word is overused, but I think with Steve it's rightly used. He's a genius.

Everyone said, ‘Brace yourself, Lupita! Keep a granola bar in that clutch of yours!’ I didn’t really understand what they meant, and it was only once it was past that I realized that my body had been holding on by a thread to get through this very intense experience. Nothing can prepare you for awards season. The red carpet feels like a war zone, except you cannot fly or fight; you just have to stand there and take it.

I went to the Independent Spirit Awards and won.

Happiness is the most important thing.