A biography for Jurnee Smollett-Bellhasn’t been written yet.
“You learn a lot about yourself just by writing it down.”
“My mom is from New Orleans. And all of my maternal relatives were there during Katrina. We couldn't even find my uncle for four months. We literally didn't know where he was. I had been there just four days before the storm hit.”
“Never let anyone silence your voice.”
“There's this notion, kind of like unspoken, that you can't live your dreams and be a mom. You can't have a career and be a mom. There's still that preconceived notion, and I reject that.”
“I have a complex heritage: my mom is African American, and my dad is Jewish. Both were activists, and they met during the movement in the '70s.”
“The AIDS epidemic began before I was born - I've never known a world without it. And yet, despite its omnipresence in our lives, there remains a pervasive silence around AIDS among young people, particularly young women.”
“I'm a research queen.”
“The real trendsetters are the ones who rebel. Those are the ones who everyone in fashion eventually follows.”
“I just live my life. I go where I feel God is calling me.”
“Little Richard played my uncle on 'Full House.' He's fabulous. I remember him being incredibly kind to me. I just remember him being super, super nice.”
“I want to tell human stories not solely based on race. There are so many great actresses and actors that are out there, and I just want to see them do good work.”
“I'm a grandma at heart.”
“If I have a jump rope and a resistance band, I can work out anywhere. Even without a jump rope. If you do 200 jumping jacks, then drop and do some crunches, and then do some squats, you're good.”
“The Underground Railroad, which was the first integrated civil rights movement, is a part of our history that not a lot of us know about. And it's actually a very empowering side of our history.”
“I'm very picky about the kind of work that I do, and I'm fortunate to have been able to work with great directors and great actors who've helped me grow as an artist.”
“I love to get in the library and just spend days researching characters.”
“I've always been proud that I come from people who were activists, who have this indomitable spirit. I am proud to have inherited the spirit of resistance and revolution.”
“I like the idea of matchmaking; I'm just not very good at it. It's too much pressure!”
“Marriage is a work in progress, but it's beautiful.”
“As women, I think we give so much of ourselves.”