A little bit about my family: We didn't really come from much, and we didn't take family trips to California, so my first trip to California was actually my first day of school.
Tracy Ullman, I grew up watching her shows and standup and improv and specials. Bette Midler and Whoopi Goldberg. They inspire me to do it all. I always wanted to do it all; I never wanted to be put in a box.
Shows in the '70s and '80s were a lot more provocative. Shows that are coming out now - like 'Black-Ish,' 'The Carmichael Show' - are showcasing people of color in a new way. It's not stereotypical.
Jamie Foxx. He's been very much a mentor and friend, and we've worked together several times. He's just been such an influence in my career. There's nothing that man can't do, and that's something I would like to reflect in my career.
It's just been a lot of hard work and lot of auditions. A lot of ups and downs, but a lot of ups, and I'm really happy for my downs, too. I'm really thankful.
If you really want to be an actress, go to school. I think it's great what people are doing on YouTube, but don't forget to go to class. Have a vision for yourself, but don't forget to do the work.
I was very vocal about what I wanted to do at a very young age. I wanted to be inside of the television set. I didn't know being on TV was being an actor.
I started off in drama, and there are so many women that I admire. Women in this industry are gladiators. Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Taraji Henson, Regina Hall, Regina King.
I remember watching television when I was younger, and I felt like there were things TV tackled first, and then it would happen to me in real life, and I felt prepared.
