I never really thought I wanted to be an actress. I was a bookworm, and all I did was sit around and read. In fact, I dodged doing things. When I was in the sixth grade and was asked to read a speech for Black History Month, I did everything I could to get out of it. By the time I got to high school, I was bored. It was so cliquish, and I didn’t think that applied to me. I decided to audition for a performing-arts school in Dallas. I thought it would be cool to be in costume design—when I was little I used to make clothes for my dolls and later taught myself to knit—and I also liked the theater because my mom would take me to see plays. I thought it might be a good situation because you had to do well academically, but you also got to learn about other things. I was fortunate to get in.
