I'm always like, 'Well, let's not rest on a critical acclaim or on a incredible review or on a great reception.'

I always have a backpack. I was a poet, so it reminds me of being a backpack poet.

Shoes make an outfit; they're like rims for a car.

For me, I'm always looking for the opportunity for a character that challenges me and lets me play two for the price of one.

We are a total of our sum parts, right? I came from a family of very strong women - black women. And if I go back as far as my great grandmothers, there was always that love and the ability to be nurturing. Then I grew up in a household where my father was the one who was more affectionate with me.

I'd say my artistic bent definitely came from my father, who was a trial lawyer. And if you're smart, you know that a trial lawyer isn't that different from an actor. He was a poet as well.