Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Im a songwriter and Id love to make that a part of my career.
I started playing piano when I was around four; thats my first passion.
Even when you're not acting, don't lose sight of your goals or who you are.
My view of myself as an artist expanded because of the time I spent at Cal Arts.
When films are remade, it often becomes a big deal. In theater, it's called a revival.
I wasn't even a theater kid in high school. I studied classical piano, and I ran track.
I think even when I was little there was signs that I was an artist. I've always been an artist.
One day I'm not busy at all; the next day I have work for months - that's kind of the way it works!
[In New York,] when you say you're an actor, there's a certain level of respect that goes with that.
I grew up in the theater with my mom and that's how I knew I wanted to be an actor in the first place.
I would never be in a film just for the sake of being in a film, so I am waiting for the right role to come along.
My first exploration through art was really through music - I've trained classically with piano for about ten years.
The way I work emotionally is: I don't ever try to cry. I try not to, which is what for me produces organic emotion.
The reason why I like theater is because it's a long journey, and no matter what role you play, we are all in it together.
Theater is a lot more interactive, more of a cohesive unit. With television, it can be a different director every episode.
If I had seen a black woman play Juliet as a little girl, my idea of my place in the world would have been totally different.
Shakespeare teaches you how to act. You come out of this process as a better actor. It's just the nature of the words he writes.
I want the type of career where I can come back to theater. Theater is my home. Theater, to me, is like ballet for dancers. It's my foundation.
My thing is that if you don't really connect to something or see that it's going to be something you're going to be proud of, I wouldn't do it.
Personally, especially as a young black woman, I didn't think that Los Angeles was a place for me to start. There's a certain type that they go for or don't.
When I'm in Los Angeles, sometimes I hesitate saying that I'm an actor because people are like, "Of course you are." And I'm like "No, not, 'Of course I am.'"
In L.A., being an actor is like a pastime, everybody there is like, "I was on this reality show; I'm an actor." It becomes a word that is loosely thrown around.
I had a period without acting work, and I took a job as a cocktail server. In 'Stick Fly,' my character has to carry a tray, and I knew how to do it because of the job.
I prefer theater and film. I did a little television, and obviously I'm not knocking it. It can be great, and it does pay the bills. But it's a little bit more disjointed.
My mom was really busy when I was growing up, but she did a really good job in terms of balancing her home life with her professional life. She basically took me everywhere.
I do create songs and play the guitar. But my focus is definitely on acting. I think, if there's going to be singing involved in my career, it would probably be in musical theater.
You're born with a certain love of something. Music was my first love, and that's the world I work from. Growing up, I was surrounded by artists, so my upbringing supported this lifestyle.
My favorite films are when all of the technicalities are so seamless and so well done that I'm not thinking about them - you're able to go full-on into the story versus talking about edgy this moment was.
You know how theres always the one girl in drama school who can cry at the drop of a hat? She has that emotional well she can tap into in a second? Im not that girl. It takes a lot to get me to that place.
The big challenge is finding something new without changing completely what you've already done - going deeper into what you've already done and discovering new things while carrying out the same intention.
You know how there's always the one girl in drama school who can cry at the drop of a hat? She has that emotional well she can tap into in a second? I'm not that girl. It takes a lot to get me to that place.
I think, even when I was little, there was signs that I was an artist. I've always been an artist. My first exploration through art was really through music - I've trained classically with piano for about ten years.
I really want to do film, but I want to do the right film. The truth for me is that I'm really driven by stories. So there are stories I want to tell, and if it's a good story then I want to do it, whatever genre it is.
William Shakespeare was a brilliant writer and he only wrote the truth. So, if I dont believe it, I have to work really hard to see what that truth is so that I do; thats the only way I can make it believable for the audience.
William Shakespeare was a brilliant writer and he only wrote the truth. So, if I don't believe it, I have to work really hard to see what that truth is so that I do; that's the only way I can make it believable for the audience.
I wanted to become an actor and I knew that if I was really going to do it, I needed the training. I was not one of those people that was like, "I got it." I was like, "No, I don't have it yet. I need work. I need help fixing myself."
I realized that once I graduated from college, there might be a period of time where people might typecast me or be more limiting, and I might not be able to play a crazy character. For me, it was important to do that at least in school.
There are a lot of celebrities that I think can get a little bit distracted by the way that our society views celebrity. All of a sudden, the film becomes about, "Come see this celebrity!" I'm not interested in that. I want to see a story.
When I was born, that was right smack in the middle of 'The Cosby Show.' But what I remember is my mother took me with her... She exposed me to the world in such a way where I was included. And I didn't feel like she chose her career over me.
Orlando is such a kind person. He's so generous and one of us, 'us' meaning a theater person. What a lot of people don't know about him is that, before 'Lord of the Rings,' he went to theater school like a lot of us. He is just really sweet and hard working.
I admire fashion and I respect it greatly, but I don't necessarily follow trends. I never really have. I just wear what I like to wear. I really like colors, and there are some things I wear and don't care what anybody says about it being in style or not. I wear it anyway.
The truth of the matter is, I am a black woman, and I am an actor. I don't try to get caught up in being a black actor; I'm just an actor who is a black woman. It's not about forgetting that you're black, but you don't need to be hammered over the head, either; it just is what it is.
When I'm in Los Angeles, sometimes I hesitate saying that I'm an actor because people are like, 'Of course you are.' And I'm like 'No,' not, 'Of course I am.' In L.A., being an actor is like a pastime: everybody there is like, 'I was on this reality show; I'm an actor.' It becomes a word that is loosely thrown around.
Paul Giamatti is truly one of my biggest inspirations, and even more so now that I've gotten to work with him. Every single thing he does, he completely transforms into it. When I watch a film with Paul in it, I'm not like, 'Oh, there's Paul.' I'm completely into whatever character he's in, and I'm not thinking about him as an actor.
The directors were often really nice and I was well behaved, so I would just sit there in rehearsal. That allowed me to see the process - not just the result, the red carpet, all of the wonderful, fun things that happen afterwards - the nuts and bolts, the nitty-gritty, "Let's try to build this character from the page," tech rehearsals.
I've realized that a lot of people go to see film or theater with a different expectation. I have a friend who's an actor and I can't stand watching movies with him because he never quite allows himself to just watch the story. He'll comment on the lighting, he'll comment on the [camera] angle. I'm not saying there's a wrong way to watch it - maybe that's helpful to him - but to me, you're getting way too caught up in the technical aspects.