I was very fortunate to be able to represent an icon to many African Americans.

It's a mission for me to make sure that philanthropy doesn't feel like a vintage hand-me-down from mom or dad. I want people to feel compelled to do something positive because they just love it, they're excited about it, and it's cool.

I've been working so hard, I'm about to have a Mariah Carey.

Success is all about having the confidence to shoot for something even if it seems impossible.

For a woman to be able to dominate and also be feminine and soft, that's a talent. And its not all about appearance. A woman who has a brain, who is street-smart and book-smart, that woman is very, very sexy to me.

It isn't hard to be in a relationship because I've always loved to be in a relationship, and I love to be in love.

When I reflect on the issues that black Hollywood has had with the lack of representation at the Oscars, I realized that we have a responsibility to tell stories that are meaningful for our history.