Natasha Rothwell

“I definitely was inspired by drama teachers in high school named Mr. Walsh and Ms. O'Neil, and both of them were very formative in helping me sort of understand theater. But I think my biggest inspiration is that I was a high school drama teacher in real life for four years in the Bronx.”

“'Love, Simon' is incredibly dope, but that's one specific experience, and I would love to see more versions of that story being told or other stories that we haven't even seen yet from the LGBTQIA community.”

“As a writer, I use improv to write. Exploring characters and stories through improv and sitting at the computer and thinking about what this character would say or do helps me creatively.”

“I've always been kind of precocious, but my journey sort of solidified when I was in college and majored in theater. That's how I knew I wanted to spend my life writing, telling, and performing stories.”

“I would just take dolls around the house - there's old VHS footage from my dad, who was an early adapter and had this RCA camera - and it's me taking a Michael Jackson Barbie doll and putting on a show with that.”

“I have always gravitated toward levity and my parents; I'm sure they have a VHS tape of me when I'm making jokes and trying to make faces when the family was taking a picture.”

“I think it's so important for us to make art and to be loud and to resist with our art.”

“I don't know if there is an expiration date on diversity.”

“One of the things I pride myself on is that my fan base is progressive, but I don't shy away from people who think differently from me. I welcome productive conversations, but it's important for me to not hide where I stand.”

“I hope movies like 'Love, Simon' encourage people to be their authentic selves.”

“I was obsessed with Carol Burnett, Lily Tomlin; I watched 'Mama's Family' religiously.”

“What I loved about playing Ms. Albright in 'Love, Simon' is that, so often, when we speak of allies in the queer community, we don't really get to see what it means be an active ally. I love that she can step into this world with these kids and be a truth teller.”

“I was sort of always the class clown, but I think that was confusing for my teachers because I had the grades to back it up. I would be finished with assignments and goof off, because I'm done. And so, it would be like, 'Oh, she has like a 4.2 GPA, but she's also just like walking around the halls with the hall pass and bothering other students.'”

“When I moved to New York, I really wanted to find my bread job as close to my passion as possible. There's nobility in waiting tables. But I really wanted to find a job in the arts, and so I started teaching.”

“HBO has been incredible and a huge champion of my work, my passions, and has been a great home for my talent, I feel.”

“I'm drawn to subversive material and material that speaks to communities and people who tend to be marginalized, and telling those stories in ways that subvert expectations. That's always been fun for me to play and always been fun for me to write.”

“I knew I always wanted to major in theater.”

“My bread and butter is rom-com, and if I had to go back and tell my 15-year-old self watching 'When Harry Met Sally' that one day I would be writing a film in the same genre, I would have freaked out.”

“I feel like theater in high school seems to be sort of like the safe haven for the outsiders and people who don't necessarily fit in. And it was a come-as-you-are sort of class, and it's a come-as-you-are after-school activity.”

“In a world where you graduate with a theater degree from college, you gotta find your bread job. You gotta find that job to pay the bills.”