It's great to have something to dress up for. You know, I spent three years in slacks at drama school, so now I like putting a dress on.

Being called gorgeous is not a bad thing! But at the same time, I don’t want to thrive on people’s opinions of me.

Makeup isn't something I've worn a lot of in my life.

I feel a responsibility to myself and my parents and the people whose love has gotten me this far - people who were in my life before fame. That's where I get my sense of self. It's deadly for anyone to take on that role of a deity; it's not sustainable. I've got tons of flaws. Call my mother - she'll tell you! She keeps it real. Sometimes you don't want to hear the truth; she'll tell it to you out of love.

The muscles you flex in theater are muscles that you really need. I must always find a way to get back there. It's irreplaceable.

I have a very ostrich mentality. I feel like I have my head in the sand so no one can see me.

I remember in my very first fitting, costume designer Patricia Norris gave me a garment with these intricate stitches - stitches over stitches, because it had been repaired so many times. Once I put it on, she told me that it belonged to an actual slave woman. My heart just stopped. Each one of the stitches had a story, you know. Just recognizing this period I was going to be dancing with was a "come to Jesus" moment.