I am a dark-skinned, nappy-headed, scar-faced dude from the streets of Brooklyn. I can't hide from being who I am. It's all over my face.

Addiction is a health issue, not a social issue, not a crime, not a legal issue.

You know, my childhood was pretty colorful; I like to use the word turbulent.

My dream role is to portray someone like James Baldwin. I've always been a fan of his writing, and I feel like he's one of our unsung heroes. He's been pretty much forgotten, and I think he needs to be recognized. He had to go all the way to Europe to find recognition and acceptance, and I'd just like to bring him to the forefront.

I am the epitome of the underdog. By societies standards I should have been dead a long time ago, and I was nobody's gangster, I wasn't a thug, I wasn't selling drugs on the corner - I was scared of that.

I grew up in East Flatbush in Brooklyn which was an intense neighbourhood filled with different West Indian cultures.

Music is always a part of my characters' make-up.