I'm glad that I get to take my final walk as the princess of 2012. ...there's nothing wrong with winning an Oscar!

There are enough negative images of Black women out there and I did not want to portray Dorothy Vaughn in any stereotype. I wanted to make sure that her integrity was preserved.

The way to bring about change is to be proactive and active.

I don't ever want to be the type of person to tell you what to think or what to believe. Whatever stage in your life that you are in, I want you to organically reach whatever conclusions that you possibly reach.

I'm attracted to things that make me want to be a better person.

You can't be from Montgomery, Alabama, and not have a background in the church. It's at the core of who we are as a people.

I have always been very family-oriented. I came from a dysfunctional, broken family growing up, and it's probably instilled in me the need and the want to have a strong family and a great foundation. So I think that is something that I naturally gravitate toward.