I don't see a white woman. I see a black woman, even though my mother is white [her father Jerome is black]. Knowing that has made my life easier, I think.

When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner.

to be an actress of color who can make a difference and go down a path that no woman has gone before.

I'm a much better mother at 46... than if I were like, 21 or 25.

Let me tell you something - being thought of as a beautiful woman has spared me nothing in life. No heartache, no trouble. Love has been difficult. Beauty is essentially meaningless and it is always transitory.

You think you know what love is - until you have a child and discover that unconditional mother love.