01of 09ON WHAT SHE WANTS HER YOUNGER SELF TO KNOWAlberto E. Rodriguez/Getty"I would tell my younger self just be yourself – that who you are is good enough."– to PEOPLE02of 09ON GIVING BACKAlberto E. Rodriguez/Getty"They say, to serve is to love. I think to serve is to heal, too."– atVariety’sPower of Womenluncheon, October 201403of 09ON BEING A ROLE MODELSteve Sands/GC"A 25-year-old white actress who is training at Yale or Juilliard or SUNY Purchase or NYU today can look at a dozen white actresses who are working over age 40 in terrific roles. You can’t say that for a lot of young black girls. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing."– to theNew York Times04of 09ON THE REALITIES OF HOLLYWOODFrazer Harrison/Getty"There just aren’t a lot of roles for – I mean, I’m a 46-year-old black woman who really doesn’t look like Halle Berry, and Halle Berry is having a hard time. You know there’s not a lot of leading roles. I have an absolute understanding and awareness of the image I project, and there’s just not a lot of roles for women who look like me."– duringNewsweek’sOscars roundtable05of 09ON REFLECTING REAL WOMEN ON SCREENMichael Tran/FilmMagic"The women in my life who are sexualized are anywhere from a size zero to a size 24. They don’t walk like supermodels in heels. They take their wig and makeup off at night."– at theHollywood Reporter’sEmmys Roundtable06of 09ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ANNALISE KEATINGCraig Sjodin/ABC"This role was my way of saying, ‘Welcome to womanhood!’ It’s also healed me and shown a lot of little dark-skinned girls with curly hair a physical manifestation of themselves."– at theHollywood Reporter’sEmmys Roundtable07of 09ON MOTHERHOODJason LaVeris/FilmMagic"Forgive yourself – every minute of the day, every day, that would be No. 1. You always focus on your mistakes as a mom, and you just have to know that you’re doing the best you can with what you know."– on The Ellen DeGeneres Show08of 09ON GOING NATURALNPG"I took my wig off because I no longer wanted to apologize for who I am."– to Essence, September 201309of 09ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SNACKSGiulio Marcocchi/Sipa"I’m one of those people that will wake up in the middle of the night and dig through my drawer for some candy – and put it in my mouth and chew it as I go back to sleep."– to PEOPLE
01of 09ON WHAT SHE WANTS HER YOUNGER SELF TO KNOWAlberto E. Rodriguez/Getty"I would tell my younger self just be yourself – that who you are is good enough."– to PEOPLE
01of 09
ON WHAT SHE WANTS HER YOUNGER SELF TO KNOW
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
“I would tell my younger self just be yourself – that who you are is good enough."– to PEOPLE
02of 09ON GIVING BACKAlberto E. Rodriguez/Getty"They say, to serve is to love. I think to serve is to heal, too."– atVariety’sPower of Womenluncheon, October 2014
02of 09
ON GIVING BACK
“They say, to serve is to love. I think to serve is to heal, too."– atVariety’sPower of Womenluncheon, October 2014
03of 09ON BEING A ROLE MODELSteve Sands/GC"A 25-year-old white actress who is training at Yale or Juilliard or SUNY Purchase or NYU today can look at a dozen white actresses who are working over age 40 in terrific roles. You can’t say that for a lot of young black girls. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing."– to theNew York Times
03of 09
ON BEING A ROLE MODEL
Steve Sands/GC
“A 25-year-old white actress who is training at Yale or Juilliard or SUNY Purchase or NYU today can look at a dozen white actresses who are working over age 40 in terrific roles. You can’t say that for a lot of young black girls. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing."– to theNew York Times
04of 09ON THE REALITIES OF HOLLYWOODFrazer Harrison/Getty"There just aren’t a lot of roles for – I mean, I’m a 46-year-old black woman who really doesn’t look like Halle Berry, and Halle Berry is having a hard time. You know there’s not a lot of leading roles. I have an absolute understanding and awareness of the image I project, and there’s just not a lot of roles for women who look like me."– duringNewsweek’sOscars roundtable
04of 09
ON THE REALITIES OF HOLLYWOOD
Frazer Harrison/Getty
“There just aren’t a lot of roles for – I mean, I’m a 46-year-old black woman who really doesn’t look like Halle Berry, and Halle Berry is having a hard time. You know there’s not a lot of leading roles. I have an absolute understanding and awareness of the image I project, and there’s just not a lot of roles for women who look like me."– duringNewsweek’sOscars roundtable
05of 09ON REFLECTING REAL WOMEN ON SCREENMichael Tran/FilmMagic"The women in my life who are sexualized are anywhere from a size zero to a size 24. They don’t walk like supermodels in heels. They take their wig and makeup off at night."– at theHollywood Reporter’sEmmys Roundtable
05of 09
ON REFLECTING REAL WOMEN ON SCREEN
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
“The women in my life who are sexualized are anywhere from a size zero to a size 24. They don’t walk like supermodels in heels. They take their wig and makeup off at night."– at theHollywood Reporter’sEmmys Roundtable
06of 09ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ANNALISE KEATINGCraig Sjodin/ABC"This role was my way of saying, ‘Welcome to womanhood!’ It’s also healed me and shown a lot of little dark-skinned girls with curly hair a physical manifestation of themselves."– at theHollywood Reporter’sEmmys Roundtable
06of 09
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ANNALISE KEATING
Craig Sjodin/ABC
“This role was my way of saying, ‘Welcome to womanhood!’ It’s also healed me and shown a lot of little dark-skinned girls with curly hair a physical manifestation of themselves."– at theHollywood Reporter’sEmmys Roundtable
07of 09ON MOTHERHOODJason LaVeris/FilmMagic"Forgive yourself – every minute of the day, every day, that would be No. 1. You always focus on your mistakes as a mom, and you just have to know that you’re doing the best you can with what you know."– on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
07of 09
ON MOTHERHOOD
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
“Forgive yourself – every minute of the day, every day, that would be No. 1. You always focus on your mistakes as a mom, and you just have to know that you’re doing the best you can with what you know."– on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
08of 09ON GOING NATURALNPG"I took my wig off because I no longer wanted to apologize for who I am."– to Essence, September 2013
08of 09
ON GOING NATURAL
NPG
“I took my wig off because I no longer wanted to apologize for who I am."– to Essence, September 2013
09of 09ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SNACKSGiulio Marcocchi/Sipa"I’m one of those people that will wake up in the middle of the night and dig through my drawer for some candy – and put it in my mouth and chew it as I go back to sleep."– to PEOPLE
09of 09
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SNACKS
Giulio Marcocchi/Sipa
“I’m one of those people that will wake up in the middle of the night and dig through my drawer for some candy – and put it in my mouth and chew it as I go back to sleep."– to PEOPLE
source: people.com
