It's so weird to turn on a switch and be the role model for all women, for all African-Americans. That doesn't happen that easily. It just doesn't. And so I don't act up in public and I don't do anything weird - because my sisters are watching me, not because the world is watching me.

My Plan A was to be a psychologist. I thought I would be a receptionist. I'm always middle of the road and very normal. I've always wanted a normal life, and this is what I got.

One of my favorite - well, my favorite, favorite, absolute favorite event to go to is Alfre Woodard has a party that I call the blacktress party. It's, like, black actresses that either have been nominated for an Oscar or should have been, and it sort of is just a night where we all get in a room and we get to celebrate each other.

Precious, she gets hit by life so many different ways and so many times, but she doesn't yield to it. She continues to get up and she continues to struggle for a better life.

Well, I was a big fan of the book and therein a huge fan of the girl Precious. And so I felt like I knew this girl. I felt like I'd grown up alongside her. I felt like she was in my family. She was my friend and she was like people I didn't want to be friends with.

Well, I'm certainly glad that I was nominated for an Oscar. There is certainly a respect that comes with that nod. Also, a compliment that comes with it, too. Not that I really know what I'm doing. In a lot of ways I feel like some child on set, or like a kid that snuck in the back door.

I have a nice smile, pretty lips, and big round cheeks. They help me look like a teenager.

One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. I wear colors that I really like, I wear makeup that makes me feel pretty, and it really helps. It doesn't have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see.

I can flip my tongue over. Only one in 10,000 people can. I learned that at Ripley's Believe It or Not!

I didn't want to be an actress at all, or famous even. I certainly enjoy acting now, absolutely. Time will tell whether or not I enjoy fame.

I don't fixate on other people's opinions of my body.

I have a birthmark on the inside of my left knee that resembles an upside-down sea horse.

I love the way I look. I'm fine with it. And if my body changes, I'll be fine with that.

I think people look at me and don't expect much. Even though, I expect a whole lot.

I'm just a girl from Harlem who ended up in the right place at the right time.

I'm not a big fan of doing what my mother wants me to do, like any daughter.

Mo'Nique is so full of love. I've been describing her as the tree in 'Pocahontas.' She's so wise and loving. She is just everything.

One of my personal plights in this business is about playing 'The Sassy Black Girl.'

The thing about Precious, she's so far from a Hollywood character. She's so honest and real, I definitely felt like I knew her.

When it's time to film and to actually take on the role of Precious, I felt an immense responsibility to do it justice.