As an artist, you want to stretch. That's the only way you're going to grow. If I stay inside my comfort zone, do roles that I've done before, then I'm never going to get better as an actress. — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share Image
But really, for me, I tried to find first-person accounts. I tried to read stories from men and women who had survived slavery because… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
There are so many people who will try and make you feel like your opinion doesn't matter, and I've learned how important it is… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
You go through those awkward, dorky, geeky stages, and growing up in the industry amplifies all that. Fortunately, I have a mother who encouraged… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
When I was younger, I really struggled with confidence. You go through those awkward, dorky, geeky stages, and growing up in the industry amplifies… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
I read slave narratives, books like Bullwhip Days, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. [The Root's chairman] Henry Louis Gates has an… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
Fortunately, I come from an activist mother, so I didn't have to rely on the history books. The history books teach us nothing about… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
Maybe you should think about the choices in your life, how someone can come and spit some kind of game to you and make… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
One of the most tragic things about slavery was the mental enslavement, the way they made us believe that we were worth nothing; and… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
For me, seeing our history told in this light, the ones who did rebel, the ones who did revolt, the revolutionaries, excited me. Seeing… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
There's a level of shame attached to our history, and we need to replace that shame with pride and own our history. These are… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
As an artist, you want to stretch. That's the only way you're going to grow. If I stay inside my comfort zone, do roles… — Jurnee Smollett Copy Share
