“Vanity destroys your work. That's the one thing you have to let go of as an acto…” — Viola Davis

You can't be perceived as 'the black actress who doesn't get the same kind of roles as the white actress.' You gotta run the same race. You gotta give the same quality of performances. You gotta have the same standard of excellence, even though people know that you're coming to the race in a deficit. That's just what life is about.

Acting came from growing up in dysfunction. I mean, a lot of great times, but a lot of dysfunction.

I love Wal-Mart. You can put that down. I love Wal-Mart. My husband and I hang out there.

Flashy characters are more entertaining to people because you get it. You don't have to work to get someone who says what they mean and says what they think. They're out there. It's harder to play a quiet character because everything happens in their stream of consciousness.