-: Preparation is the key to success.
I think with my career there comes a lotta rejection
but there also comes a lotta fear
and I feel like the more prepared
you are, the less fear there is.
There's always gonna be variables that you can't control
and this is a collaborative art
and it's a collaborative business,
so it's not just based on one person's track,
so to speak,
and I think the best thing I could say is be disciplined,
be self-disciplined,
find that for yourself.
I think the other thing is play well with others,
you know what I mean,
this is collaborative,
so you have to like working with people
and people have to like working with you.
The other thing I would say is step into some level
of uniqueness.
I think that what it takes to be successful is a level
of authenticity, especially in our climate right now.
There is no other you on the planet.
Take as many classes as you can.
If you can get into a great training program
like Julliard or NYU or Yale,
jump in it and do it,
but also there is a level of training on the job.
I'm also not against that.
I mean, I think back in the day,
especially like the 70s and the 80s,
especially for black performers,
there was this idea of legacy
and passing down the knowledge
and so a lot of the training that you got was working
with these company of actors
that worked with August Wilson
or any of these great playwrights around that time
or great directors around that time
and so there is a level of learning as you go.
Even after you graduate a program like Yale,
I think you learn the most doing it,
and so I would say be a student of life.
Be a student of life,
and every time you get an opportunity
to actually act, soak it up.
Learn, grow, be humble,
and I think that humility will allow you
to continue to grow.