I think there's something really thrilling to having to get people laughing about something, and then, when you have them in that comfort space, you can drop the weight into the texture of the story.

In performance, you don't always feel that sort of family bond right off the top. It sort of develops and grows over time.

My mother is a fighter. After she battled polio and learned to walk again, the doctors told her she would be a cripple her entire life. Instead of accepting defeat, she refused this fate and went on to become the West African Women's Singles tennis champion in college.

I love De la Renta. I love CoSTUME National; I think they’re just incredible. And I love Marc Jacobs, too – they’re also great, just a great brand.

It’s exciting to watch people do and write and say what they feel like doing, writing and saying.

I’m realizing, you don’t need to change anything about yourself. This is who you are, and it’s okay. That’s daring.

I'm realizing, you don't need to change anything about yourself. This is who you are, and it's okay. That's daring.

If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Uzoamaka.

Ive heard of nothing coming from nothing, but Ive never heard of absolutely nothing coming from hard work.

My only want and wish, really, was to tell a good story. I wanted to do good work, tell a good story, and give the character a voice. Those were my only expectations.