I'm a proud American all day, every day.

You never know who's being impressed from what you're doing.

My grandfather was a big influence on me, but I lost him when I was a kid.

Growing up black, you are lied to and told to act in a way that isn't who you are.

I only did four days on 'Just Mercy' at the same time I'm playing a cowboy in another movie.

Growing up black in America, and with Southern roots in my family, I was informed in my own life.

I'm just blessed. To be recognized by critics - that's been fun, that's been nice them showing love.

Traditionally in American cinema, Black men and women's participation in world wars is often not even represented at all.

Any time that when you're rich and guilty, you're treated better than if you're poor and innocent, something has to change.

A lot of people refer to me as somebody that they know. I think that kind of energy resonates with the programs on Netflix.

You know, I get recognized for Turk Barrett probably more than any of my other roles, even more than the 'Stranger Things' role.

I'm a real brother. I'm an East Coast dude. I have the experiences that I feel a lot of people who identify with me can relate to.

I'd be sent down South in summertime to work with my grandmother in the field and working with cattle, chickens, beans and tobacco.

Virginia State University gave me a chance to get out of my neighborhood and it showed me a different light for who I was in society.

I have a body butter beauty line. I'm interested in health and wellness, and my friends encouraged me to do this. So, I made it a business.

If I as a storyteller and performer get to participate in something that can potentially elevate something in society, morally? I'm all for it.

It's not often that scripts come across our desks that are written so poetic and so honest from our perspective, as a black man and a black woman in Hollywood.

I trained with the American Theatre of Harlem, and by the grace of God, that was my foundation to understanding the art of storytelling and understanding that I'm blessed to be in a play.

Well, being a black man in America and growing up in this society, my view of the justice system is pretty much set. I've been exploited and abused by it myself, so I feel it's broken, it's biased.

We're all trained as actors to approach our characters with no prejudice, and take on the mindset and the spirit of the character in a way that allows the vulnerability and the truth to come out naturally.

Being a black male in the Deep South after World War II, you could actually come home in your uniform and be lynched on the spot or be connected to some horses and buggies and dragged on the street in front of your wife and children.

Tom Hanks, when you meet him, he's a such a cheerful, open, giving, fun guy. You would imagine this star that's been in our living room for 20-plus years would have this kind of personality, but he's still a beautiful, giving human being.

Understanding that capacity of knowing when to be charming, when to shut the hell up, when to be humble and when to basically disappear for your safety and survival - that's the kind of conversation you'd have as a parent to your child, not only in 1940s America but in 2017.

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