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Everybody wants somebody to look up to that looks like them so they can truly believe in that reality for themselves.
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I want to have a resume that is substantial enough to hold itself as respectful.
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Sometimes there's something that a writer doesn't see or a producer doesn't see when he's looking at a shot.
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A lot of people are afraid of the idea of enslavement, and that's because it's tied to so much shame and guilt... That is the big elephant in the room, but a part of why we're afraid to attack that subject matter is because of the way we've been taught about it.
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I can literally count on one hand how many slave stories have gotten notoriety over the past few years.
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Nothing in my life has necessarily been easy, but eventually I see where it's gotten me to, and I say, 'Okay, it's been worth it.'
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When you do learn these things, when you understand what inclusion is, then we can accomplish greater things together.
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You have a plantation where you have 10 white people and you have about 50 or 60 black people. The automatic thought was, 'Why didn't they raise up? Why didn't they overpower? They had the numbers.' But really these people, their hope was broken. Their sense of love was broken. Their appreciation for who they were was broken.
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When I was 18, I began attending college for art and design, and I designed all sorts of things from furniture to industrial designs and even watches.
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New Orleans is New Orleans. It's a great city and fun and great food. It's one of those cities that when you are working hard hours like we work, you have to do as much as possible to stay out of trouble. Not much of a problem for me, but in New Orleans, trouble tries so much to find you.
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When you say 'diversity,' the term has been denigrated over the years because it has been used as a crutch.
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'Die Hard' was a really awesome experience, but I was too young to understand what a big film it was.
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If men were meant to be a dominant power, men would be on this earth by themselves. So, I don't understand when women's rights are challenged - because you're talking about human rights. You talk about subjugating an entire culture that we heavily depend on for everything we need for survival.
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We have far more options for black Americans to tell stories outside of slavery, but whenever it comes to slavery, it's an uncomfortable subject. Why? Because it's the most unresolved subject in American history.
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I'm not a starstuck dude. I've been in this game too long for that, but I do respect and acknowledge real work and real work ethic.
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We're still talking about women's rights. We can't be the greatest country in the world. I think once we lose that illusionary veil of thinking that we are, we can face the problems and really try to fix them.
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My sister is raised to know her value and to know that she stands behind no man. You know, when she gets a husband, you stand side by side, equal partnership. You stand behind no one cause you have to lift each other up. You can't do that if you're 30 percent of the value in your relationship or the household.
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There's a really great documentary called 'Many Rivers,' which documents the totality of slavery from its inception, and then it gives you a little history on how America came to prominence. It's crazy - the first black man to actually step foot in America came as a free man, as an explorer, with the Spaniards.
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I was always really geeky about design and buildings. Always into architecture as a kid.
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I don't understand actors who complain when they get work. 'I'm working too much. I've got to get up too early ...' Isn't this the point? There's somebody right now who's bussing tables who would love your problems.
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I don't believe in breaks. Not yet. I'm too young.
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With any good projects, I feel like the off-screen chemistry factors on-screen. It's great when you don't have to force it, but when it's not there, you better focus on getting there because, as we live with these characters, we spend more time with one another than we do our families at home.
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I feel Noah has been alone for the majority of his life and inherently searching for a family, even though he may not express that outwardly. But his encounter with Rosalee gave him hope in finding someone who thinks like him.
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You can't just look like one culture and expect to inspire a multitude of people. That doesn't work over time. Everybody wants somebody to look up to that looks like them so they can truly believe in that reality for themselves.