I had talked to my agent a lot over the years about not being interested in stereotypical "black films" [because] I didn't like the way they were representing black people over and over and over again in the same way.

TV is part of your life - it makes you feel connected to the rest of the world - as opposed to someone else's perspective crushed into a few hours.

Im a total weirdo and have often felt like an outcast and a freak, and I love that. It makes things so much more exciting.

I was pretty lucky, I went to a really great school. I went to a Steiner School, which is very small and nurturing and creative, so I felt like I was in an environment where I could mature. There was less of the clique-y stuff, which can really make high school a living hell for a lot of people, going on, so I was very similar then to who I am now. I'm still a dork.

So, absolutely, [my Dad] will call and say, "I just got offered this or that and what do you think?" My Mom [Lisa Bonet] will do the same. And we all trust each other's opinions. And we all know each other so well and what we're capable of so, if someone's scared to do something, we encourage them to take that chance because we believe in each other as a family.

That's the most important thing in art: to be aware, pay attention, be inspired - but it should come ultimately from you.

When you're making an independent film and you care about it so much you do all the prep work beforehand.