"Southland" was not written for a black woman.

I create my own backstory regardless of if I'm told something about the background or not. There's always more that you can develop in your head that makes a character more layered, more honest.

I think I've been lucky in the regard to have a team that sees me as an artist.

I've always been selective about materials I choose anyways. The incoming calls haven't been projects that I necessarily want to do. Now I can always be called "Emmy winner Regina King."

We play different people - our art form is performance art - so unless you're playing the same type of person, I don't know if you could improve or make it worse.

And just because someone doesn't understand doesn't mean they don't want to.

I never really loved school through junior high, but then I started running track my freshman year, and I was just like, 'Wow, this is cool!