Moonlight' is a project that resonated with me more than anything else. I wouldn't have done 'Luke C...
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Moonlight' is a project that resonated with me more than anything else. I wouldn't have done 'Luke Cage' if they hadn't made time for 'Moonlight.
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I've been working almost 20 years, and I think I've worked with maybe one black director of photogra...
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I've been working almost 20 years, and I think I've worked with maybe one black director of photography in that time. Maybe two women directors or DPs. Maybe. And I've done a lot of TV. That's a lot of people I've worked with.
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I do believe that there are creative chakras or different sorts of energy centers.
I do believe that there are creative chakras or different sorts of energy centers.
When I was growing up, I was told you could be anything you want to be, but I didn't really believe ...
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When I was growing up, I was told you could be anything you want to be, but I didn't really believe that because you couldn't be president. Like, I knew that; we never had a black president.
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I got out of grad school in 2000. I was about 26 years old. I've always said that I was late to acti...
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I got out of grad school in 2000. I was about 26 years old. I've always said that I was late to acting because I didn't really start doing it in a focused way until I was in my early 20s.
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When I was growing up, in the '80s and '90s, I just never really saw myself reflected in the things ...
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When I was growing up, in the '80s and '90s, I just never really saw myself reflected in the things that I had a liking for. It makes a difference.
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I thought, 'I've been doing this for 16 years professionally. I have a window where I want to play l...
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I thought, 'I've been doing this for 16 years professionally. I have a window where I want to play leading parts.'
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I don't really compare any of the characters I play; I try to go into them being very open to what t...
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I don't really compare any of the characters I play; I try to go into them being very open to what the characters can offer and what I can bring to them and then bring a being to life.
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I watch a lot of home stuff; I like seeing things go from one thing to another and get fixed up.
I watch a lot of home stuff; I like seeing things go from one thing to another and get fixed up.
The call for diversity is about recognizing that in order to be in the conversation come awards seas...
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The call for diversity is about recognizing that in order to be in the conversation come awards season, it goes back to the content that is being produced.
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I'd never been around or seen a black showrunner, and in some ways you wish that it wasn't a big dea...
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I'd never been around or seen a black showrunner, and in some ways you wish that it wasn't a big deal.
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Hollywood has to be a better reflection of the world we live in.
Hollywood has to be a better reflection of the world we live in.
To get to play someone who was in some capacity the King of Harlem, that meant something to me. Deep...
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To get to play someone who was in some capacity the King of Harlem, that meant something to me. Deep within my bones. I was inspired by the energy that I knew to be a real thing.
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In thinking about it, the villains often have a little bit more range because their morality is diff...
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In thinking about it, the villains often have a little bit more range because their morality is different. You can have just a really good time as an actor, and there is just more there that you can explore on that side of the story.
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The more you work and get known for something, sometimes things begin to narrow a bit, and your oppo...
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The more you work and get known for something, sometimes things begin to narrow a bit, and your opportunities get more... specific.
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I have had that same experience where there are several people who have come up in my life at the ri...
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I have had that same experience where there are several people who have come up in my life at the right time and have made critical contributions to how I see the world and how I see myself.
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I believe that everything has a shelf life.
I believe that everything has a shelf life.
Who is that person that comes around and says, 'You are OK, you are worthy, you are special?' That m...
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Who is that person that comes around and says, 'You are OK, you are worthy, you are special?' That makes all the difference in the world for many of us. Those are the people we appreciate the most.
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I always hope to be a better person tomorrow than today.
I always hope to be a better person tomorrow than today.
I think Don Cheadle has always done great work.
I think Don Cheadle has always done great work.
You can't watch 'Daredevil' or 'Jessica Jones' or the Marvel films and not be aware that the villain...
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You can't watch 'Daredevil' or 'Jessica Jones' or the Marvel films and not be aware that the villain has to be awesome. I've always wanted to have more space. And the scope, morally, is more broad for the villain than the hero.
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'Luke Cage' is about a reluctant superhero who lives in the shadows in Harlem. He has to decide if h...
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'Luke Cage' is about a reluctant superhero who lives in the shadows in Harlem. He has to decide if he's going to step up and fight for the heart of the city and defend the people against Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes, my character, who kinda wants to keep everything in order and intact. I'm the criminal element in the story.
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There's nothing fun about 30 people standing around watching you, like, pretend to pleasure someone....
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There's nothing fun about 30 people standing around watching you, like, pretend to pleasure someone. Nothing enjoyable about it, believe me.
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I was supremely fortunate to do several projects that I'm really excited about. So within all that, ...
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I was supremely fortunate to do several projects that I'm really excited about. So within all that, there's a lot going on this year. I'm excited about 2016.
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I'm excited about 'Luke Cage' with Michael Colter, who plays Luke Cage. I play the villain, Cottonmo...
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I'm excited about 'Luke Cage' with Michael Colter, who plays Luke Cage. I play the villain, Cottonmouth. It takes place in Harlem. It'll just be amazing for people to get to see an African-American superhero, which there weren't any when I was growing up.
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I think that black people, to a degree, need to have a certain level of dexterity. If we want to be ...
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I think that black people, to a degree, need to have a certain level of dexterity. If we want to be at the highest level of whatever our field is, we have to be able to navigate both worlds. We all just know that you gotta be able to put that suit on and have a conversation with people that don't look like you or your family.
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I love hip hop. It's such an appendage for me. It's something that's always shaped my experience out...
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I love hip hop. It's such an appendage for me. It's something that's always shaped my experience out in the world.
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When you have these surprise breakout films that do well, that have good performances in them, it pu...
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When you have these surprise breakout films that do well, that have good performances in them, it puts a lot of pressure on the Academy to recognize those projects, so it's more of a conversation about what is greenlit.
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I wanted to take on my full name, which was sort of a crazy thing to do considering that we're in Ho...
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I wanted to take on my full name, which was sort of a crazy thing to do considering that we're in Hollywood.
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Your life, your circumstances change, and you have to continue to grow as a person, and once you hav...
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Your life, your circumstances change, and you have to continue to grow as a person, and once you have means and opportunity, you have to make different choices to protect what you have.
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It's still amazing, but when I was growing up, Harlem was the Mecca of black culture. I was so inspi...
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It's still amazing, but when I was growing up, Harlem was the Mecca of black culture. I was so inspired by it, the aspirational feeling you'd get spending time there. Experiences that were really specific to that place.
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As young people, you want to see people who in some way look like you to some degree, because it mak...
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As young people, you want to see people who in some way look like you to some degree, because it makes it a little easier for you to aspire to take on the qualities of those people.
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The real guys that I knew were really cool people, who I played basketball with and traveled with on...
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The real guys that I knew were really cool people, who I played basketball with and traveled with on teams and knew their families and knew that they love their family. They just happen to do something that wasn't all the way legal, but it was a part of their life, and you knew that they hustled.
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There are not enough going into production so that we can tout them. Look at 'Precious'... In order ...
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There are not enough going into production so that we can tout them. Look at 'Precious'... In order for them to stand out, they have to get made in the first place, and that's just not happening enough.
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Viola Davis is a perfect example of somebody who's so much better than the parts she has the opportu...
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Viola Davis is a perfect example of somebody who's so much better than the parts she has the opportunity to play.
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The people that I admire have a wonderful balance of self-belief and humility.
The people that I admire have a wonderful balance of self-belief and humility.
Family are the people that can hurt you the most.
Family are the people that can hurt you the most.
Basketball wasn't going particularly well, but in my senior year, I did a play and got a wonderful c...
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Basketball wasn't going particularly well, but in my senior year, I did a play and got a wonderful card from a professor that said, 'I don't know what your plans are after school or if acting is a part of it, but you have something special.' Hearing that from someone who I had so much respect for pointed me in that direction.
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Cultures and races are mixing in a very organic way in the world, and that should be reflected in fi...
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Cultures and races are mixing in a very organic way in the world, and that should be reflected in film and television.
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Cottonmouth is the result of having to react to his circumstances. He had to, in some ways, take con...
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Cottonmouth is the result of having to react to his circumstances. He had to, in some ways, take control of the situation and own his circumstances. But as a result of that, he became a person he didn't intend to become.
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'Mahershala' is my nickname.
'Mahershala' is my nickname.
It's about very talented writers, directors, producers, and actors being in a position for their pro...
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It's about very talented writers, directors, producers, and actors being in a position for their projects to be supported, but there's just not enough black projects being made.
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I really wasn't into comic books growing up.
I really wasn't into comic books growing up.
At a certain point in my career, I was probably having a difficult time 'holding space.' So you get ...
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At a certain point in my career, I was probably having a difficult time 'holding space.' So you get a character that has to be commanding in order for him to resonate and make sense.
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People are really paying attention to the comic-book genre, and there's a lot of time and attention ...
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People are really paying attention to the comic-book genre, and there's a lot of time and attention being invested in these projects with a wonderful sense of quality control.
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'Free State of Jones' went beyond that. It got into how the South wasn't as homogenous as we thought...
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'Free State of Jones' went beyond that. It got into how the South wasn't as homogenous as we thought it was - or even the North for that matter, where we like to assume everyone wanted to free the slaves and they were all abolitionists. It actually shows how complex these ideologies were on both sides.
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My dream role is Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion.
My dream role is Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion.
Social media has colonized what was once a sacred space occupied by emptiness: the space reserved fo...
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Social media has colonized what was once a sacred space occupied by emptiness: the space reserved for thought and creativity.
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What you see in 'Daredevil' and 'Jessica Jones' isn't the Hell's Kitchen of today; it's a version of...
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What you see in 'Daredevil' and 'Jessica Jones' isn't the Hell's Kitchen of today; it's a version of what it was like.
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I had two jobs coming out of school: I did a play, 'The Great White Hope.' I played the boxer Jack J...
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I had two jobs coming out of school: I did a play, 'The Great White Hope.' I played the boxer Jack Johnson. And I was the lead in this indie film. Then I moved to Los Angeles because New York was cold and it was really too quiet for me at that time. I was out of school; I was hungry. The auditions were trickling in, and I was antsy and ready to go.
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It's a lot of wonderful things about the Bay area and Oakland that I absolutely love. I wouldn't cha...
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It's a lot of wonderful things about the Bay area and Oakland that I absolutely love. I wouldn't change being from there by any stretch.
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Understand that we are all co-creators of our respective destinies.
Understand that we are all co-creators of our respective destinies.
I found myself sort of becoming a character actor, though I don't know if that would be my natural m...
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I found myself sort of becoming a character actor, though I don't know if that would be my natural makeup.
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I'm so appreciative that people have begun to recognize my work in a way where it can afford me more...
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I'm so appreciative that people have begun to recognize my work in a way where it can afford me more opportunities.
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Kids feel like they have to puff up or shrink. These reclusive qualities begin to develop because yo...
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Kids feel like they have to puff up or shrink. These reclusive qualities begin to develop because you feel that who you are is going to either be accepted or rejected by your family and friends.
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Marvel has such a huge slice of the pie.
Marvel has such a huge slice of the pie.
The work that I do with all of my characters is have some sense of where they come from. I kind of c...
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The work that I do with all of my characters is have some sense of where they come from. I kind of create my own story for myself. What's going on with my parents? Are they alive? Or family - do I have children? Do you see those things or not?
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In terms of pace, I think I just have to revisit my relationship with expectations. That has a littl...
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In terms of pace, I think I just have to revisit my relationship with expectations. That has a little bit to do with comparing ourselves to other people and seeing other people's journey and seeing how they had a certain success at a certain age.
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My manager called me and said, 'Hey, there's a series at Neflix.' I'm like, 'Netflix? Oh, boy.' At t...
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My manager called me and said, 'Hey, there's a series at Neflix.' I'm like, 'Netflix? Oh, boy.' At that time, it was just a strange thing to hear. It's like going, 'There's a series at Blockbuster.'
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I'd always wanted to do a Marvel project, and I'd always imagined getting to play one of the superhe...
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I'd always wanted to do a Marvel project, and I'd always imagined getting to play one of the superheroes because it's such a hard thing to get. It's the parts that only go to a few people. The flip side of that is the antagonists are pretty awesome.
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I have to say goodbye to things in order to take on bigger things that I've always wanted to do.
I have to say goodbye to things in order to take on bigger things that I've always wanted to do.
People do bad things, but that doesn't mean they don't have other colors or qualities.
People do bad things, but that doesn't mean they don't have other colors or qualities.
I think if you have any desire to be a leading man or to really carry some of these stories, there's...
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I think if you have any desire to be a leading man or to really carry some of these stories, there's this relationship that has to be cultivated with an audience. People have to be able to say your name.
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I haven't gotten to do the leading man thing, so I would love to do that!
I haven't gotten to do the leading man thing, so I would love to do that!
There are instances where you're in a space with someone who has been extraordinarily successful, an...
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There are instances where you're in a space with someone who has been extraordinarily successful, and they don't necessarily connect with you as another person. You can be a prop for them to deliver their stuff, and you're just another element in the scene.
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For my characters, it's important to get really specific about what they listen to. Because it affec...
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For my characters, it's important to get really specific about what they listen to. Because it affects how they move in the world.
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People will burn through a show in two or three days, and then you're left feeling empty for 51 week...
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People will burn through a show in two or three days, and then you're left feeling empty for 51 weeks.
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The things that people won't totally accept come in all shapes and sizes and forms, and I can relate...
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The things that people won't totally accept come in all shapes and sizes and forms, and I can relate to that in my own youth.
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Coming off 'House of Cards,' playing someone so straight-laced, I was getting offered a lot of F.B.I...
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Coming off 'House of Cards,' playing someone so straight-laced, I was getting offered a lot of F.B.I. agents.
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There's this Method Man album called 'Tical.' It's his first album. I would just listen to that ever...
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There's this Method Man album called 'Tical.' It's his first album. I would just listen to that every day, because the album feels like, if it were a film, it would be black and white. It feels like there's a war percolating throughout the album itself. It's dark, and it has a nice forward pace to it.
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I really enjoyed working with Mariah, Alfre Woodward's character, because she's a wonderful actor, a...
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I really enjoyed working with Mariah, Alfre Woodward's character, because she's a wonderful actor, and I felt we had a natural chemistry that was reflective of real family members.
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Now, being one who lived in the era of Obama, there are so many markers of improvement made. It's ha...
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Now, being one who lived in the era of Obama, there are so many markers of improvement made. It's hard to be mindful of that, in the same way you're going, 'Oh everything's cool now!' and it isn't. But I try to be mindful of how much of an improvement there has been because that gives hope. You need hope. I need hope!
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I was going to try to get into the creative writing program at Berkeley; it's just that the acting t...
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I was going to try to get into the creative writing program at Berkeley; it's just that the acting thing worked out.
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I grew up on a wide range of stuff. OutKast, they been around for over 20 years, and some of the L.A...
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I grew up on a wide range of stuff. OutKast, they been around for over 20 years, and some of the L.A. cats like Defari, Dilated Peoples and Likwit Crew. I was always going to these shows and catching the KRS-One tennis ball, as he would throw those out, EPMD. I could go on and on.
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There are so many women who contributed in a very real way in pushing for the space program during t...
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There are so many women who contributed in a very real way in pushing for the space program during the time in which there was a lot of competition to get into space first, and to know that there were African-American women who were integral in that success is pretty phenomenal.
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A lot of actors know they want to be actors a little bit earlier on. I didn't even really start stud...
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A lot of actors know they want to be actors a little bit earlier on. I didn't even really start studying until I was about 22.
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I really love Tom Hardy. He makes really interesting choices.
I really love Tom Hardy. He makes really interesting choices.
I've never seen anyone - and I've had the opportunity to work with some really terrific actors in my...
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I've never seen anyone - and I've had the opportunity to work with some really terrific actors in my time - but Philip Seymour Hoffman is definitely the best I ever had the opportunity to work with.
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At an earlier age, I was kind of into a pretty large scope or range of music from Hieroglyphics and ...
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At an earlier age, I was kind of into a pretty large scope or range of music from Hieroglyphics and the Hobo Junction guys and all that to like a lot of stuff that was in New York like Diamond D, Nas, Brand Nubian, of course Biggie, OC, Organized Confusion, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Digable Planets, who I just saw recently, and they killed it.
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Come on, we would be foolish to say that there's never been African-American leads in some capacity,...
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Come on, we would be foolish to say that there's never been African-American leads in some capacity, people of color in some capacity, leading shows or what have you. But it hasn't happened enough and in a manner that is an accurate reflection of the world that we live in.
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To really be conscious of how long the journey is, be patient, push yourself, persevere, and always ...
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To really be conscious of how long the journey is, be patient, push yourself, persevere, and always be working on your craft while waiting for your break. That's what I'm still working on, having done this for 20 years now.
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I loved going to superhero films growing up - you come home, and you pretend to be those people, and...
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I loved going to superhero films growing up - you come home, and you pretend to be those people, and it ends up informing much of what you aspire to be. And that's what I will say is important about the genre.
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I think selfishly, as an actor, we always want to do more.
I think selfishly, as an actor, we always want to do more.
I saw this documentary he did years ago called 'Fade to Black.' I was always a Jay Z fan - I liked J...
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I saw this documentary he did years ago called 'Fade to Black.' I was always a Jay Z fan - I liked Jay Z - but after I saw that documentary, I loved Jay Z. I realized how intelligent he was.
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I think #OscarsSoWhite is about there not truly being enough people of color represented.
I think #OscarsSoWhite is about there not truly being enough people of color represented.
I owe a lot to my time on 'House of Cards' because, up until I booked that show, I had been working ...
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I owe a lot to my time on 'House of Cards' because, up until I booked that show, I had been working consistently for 12 years, but I wasn't working on anything that mattered in the way 'House of Cards' did to its audience, to casting directors, to directors and producers. The show hit this sweet spot.
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I approach things from my feeling first. I have to get a feel for the character. I'll do that throug...
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I approach things from my feeling first. I have to get a feel for the character. I'll do that through music; I'll do it through what is naturally popping up for me when I read the script. My ideas or whatever the occupation of the character might be.
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I was a sports kid.
I was a sports kid.
In my humble opinion, the ages 22 to about 27 are the most critical years of your adult life. It's y...
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In my humble opinion, the ages 22 to about 27 are the most critical years of your adult life. It's your time to gestate in the cocoon of becoming.
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At that moment in time when we feel like the other, we were not the person embraced, not one of the ...
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At that moment in time when we feel like the other, we were not the person embraced, not one of the cool kids, not in the club - when you're that person, it makes you feel smaller, and when they persecute you as a result, that's a difficult position to be in.
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If you're throwing someone off a roof, you're throwing them off the roof. It's there. You don't have...
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If you're throwing someone off a roof, you're throwing them off the roof. It's there. You don't have to do anything extra with that. The audience is obviously going to react to that because it's such a heightened thing to do. But in the other moments, you really look for ways to craft those, because they're more important, honestly.
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I know someone from growing up who is in jail right now for the rest of his life, but he was one of ...
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I know someone from growing up who is in jail right now for the rest of his life, but he was one of the sweetest people I ever knew.
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I don't have a wallet. I carry my driver's license and a couple of credit cards in my phone. That, a...
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I don't have a wallet. I carry my driver's license and a couple of credit cards in my phone. That, and a money clip.
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My friends in college, several of whom are still my closest companions, would tell you that I was al...
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My friends in college, several of whom are still my closest companions, would tell you that I was almost obsessed with becoming - fixated on creating - the future that I envisioned for myself: one of expanding to know my fullest self, which I have in no way achieved.
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Oakland, by far, is really gorgeous; it still has these pockets that are really dangerous. Certain t...
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Oakland, by far, is really gorgeous; it still has these pockets that are really dangerous. Certain things are kind of normal. I think kids out there can be tested in a way where his right of passage ties into a bit of violence and how that has become these markers in masculinity and you being kind of validated after having to pass through things.
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You want entertainment in general, every aspect of it, to be more of a reflection of the diverse wor...
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You want entertainment in general, every aspect of it, to be more of a reflection of the diverse world that we live in.
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I always felt that Jay-Z, if he had a different upbringing, could be on Wall Street or in politics. ...
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I always felt that Jay-Z, if he had a different upbringing, could be on Wall Street or in politics. If you really listen to Jay Z talk, he's kind of the smartest guy in the room.
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I do think that there are people who are able to connect with and empathize with anyone who is going...
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I do think that there are people who are able to connect with and empathize with anyone who is going through something difficult, just naturally. I don't think it's a world of effort for everyone.
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If you're not careful as an actor, you can find yourself, at a certain point, a little bit bored.
If you're not careful as an actor, you can find yourself, at a certain point, a little bit bored.
