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.

I realized that beauty was not a thing that I could acquire or consume, it was something that I just had to be.

That you will feel the validation of your external beauty but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside. There is no shade in that beauty.

[My mother] always said I was beautiful and I finally believed her at some point.

I would love to have a career that's governed by the material; I always want to be part of stories that I feel are worthwhile.

Drama is my sweet spot, but the thing about being an actor is that you want to do a variety of things. I definitely love fantasy and would want to be in a fantasy project.

I love color. I'm enjoying trying all different shades. Makeup isn't something I've worn a lot of in my life.