I have experienced loss in my life, but the thing that brings you back is your faith.

You cannot live to please everyone else. You have to edify, educate and fulfill your own dreams and destiny, and hope that whatever your art is that you're putting out there, if it's received, great, I respect you for receiving it. If it's not received, great, I respect you for not.

As an actor, you don't become Meryl Streep by doing the same type of comedy. You get there by being challenged.

I'm probably the most militant person you'll ever meet and I speak my mind without provocation sometimes.

I didn't realize that diets don't work, and I did not want to diet. I didn't want to do anything that required dieting.

I hope that in some way that I can be some sort of beacon of hope, especially because I am not the typical Hollywood beauty.

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.