56 Quotes by Teyonah Parris

I've wanted to be an actress my whole life, and the - none of the women I aspired to be like had natural hair.

I got my first relaxer when I was nine years old. This was in the '90s, and I convinced my mom to let me perm my hair so I could wear a French roll with the crimps in the front.

When you just come into a show that's already established, you feel that they're family, and they have a way of doing things and running things.

When I look at material, I get excited by things that are telling the truth because that's what you want to do: tell somebody else's truth.

When I looked at 'Dear White People,' you have four African-American students who are all very different and who are trying to figure out who they are. They're dealing with identity issues and crises. That is exciting to me, to see African-American young people on a page, on a screen, who are so diverse and whose stories are all so different.

I, for myself, have wanted to get more into producing because I want to be a part of the conversation and be one of the voices in the story we're trying to tell.

When I'm filming, I keep my hair in cornrows so that they can fit a wig on top of my hair.

I try to be very particular about the roles I choose and what they say and put into the universe. I try to do my part.

When you get into this industry and the restrictions placed on women, first, and then on women on color, next? Yeah, this business comes with its challenges. But I do not shy away from those challenges.