Sanaa Lathan

"It crossed all racial and cultural lines."

"I almost made my Broadway debut much sooner"

"The more vivid an imagination you have, [the more it] brings reality to the story that you’re telling, and the more the audience will be brought in"

"A person who knows how to act can better direct an actor"

"she is every mother regardless of race"

"sometimes I think people cast people on an intuitive level, they don’t even know they’re doing it, but this has happened a lot where you have a real connection with the person"

"I definitely am more spiritual than I am religious"

"I’ve read the Koran, I’ve read Indian scriptures and I really like taking from them all"

"I think it’s important for people to have somebody who’s objective, and who’s not necessarily a friend or family"

"When you’re going through a hard time on the opposite side of the struggle there’s always the beauty of the gift that comes from the struggle"

"Having faith is being grateful and finding the gratitude"

"When I first started in the business 20 years ago, I could count on one hand how many black actresses were working, and now I don’t even know them all"

"TV is starting to look like the world we live in"

"Even though I’m happy about the Oscars this year and there were so many black nominees, film has a ways to go. It’s not looking like the world we’re living in. We’re making progress — I’ve seen it firsthand. But it’s not reflecting this melting pot just yet."

"The greatest character actor is going to bring an aspect of themselves"