“Art is art, and journalism is journalism.”

“As I got further into my career, as a character of color, if I was going to have the types of opportunities I felt I deserved, and continue to have them, I was going to have to start creating those opportunities for myself.”

“Because of the way tech is changing, and becoming cheaper and user-friendly, it's becoming easier to make films cheaply, maintaining quality.”

“Don't be a victim; if you want to make movies, make movies.”

“Growing up, I never imagined I would be an actor.”

“I can only speak as an American, but most journalism here isn't doing its job any more. It's about selling stuff.”

“I grew up studying music. I went to conservatory.”

“I mean, you know actors, we always want to do something else, something different.”

“I started acting almost on a whim to help my music career.”

“If you're going to come at me, come at me respectfully, and I will respond respectfully.”

“I'm interested not just in projects that I'll be starring in, but producing film and TV that's really quality and great for adults; and when I say 'great for adults,' it doesn't mean without humor, because I'm also interested in doing comedy.”

“It's funny, because in drama school, my greatest strength was my range. So my early career was like that: I played all kinds of different characters.”

“Notes are tricky in an audition, because I find, more often than not, my instinct is right.”

“Nothing will ever top 'The Wire.' It was historical. It was black cinema.”

“'Pigeonholed' isn't the right word, because I feel like I've had a very wide range of characters that I've been allowed to play.”

“The African American community is so under-served in the entertainment industry.”

“'The Wire' really drew on a lot of real-life situations and real-life organizations - it created fiction to make a social statement about reality.”

“When I went to drama school, I knew I was at least as talented as other students, but because I was a black man and I wasn't pretty, I knew I would have to work my butt off to be the best that I would be, and to be noticed.”

“When you're in a high-stress situation, dynamics between people can change.”

“You don't see a lot of black rock stars. The music industry tends to be segregated stylistically. It's hard for a black artist to cross over to rock music.”

“You either get better, or you don't progress.”