Nicole Ari Parker

“A guy once told me that I sound like I'm a little ahead of myself. I can't wait to thank him at the Oscars.”

“I have a real no-nonsense dad who taught me how to be resilient at a very young age.”

“Nobody really knows, but I got a little comedy in me.”

“I went to an all-girls private school, where we played field hockey and lacrosse.”

“Once there are more African Americans and Asian Americans behind the scenes as producers, writers, and directors, I think more inclusive casting will happen.”

“One good step breeds another one.”

“If you're actually talking to someone who's been through a disastrous number of years, that only means one thing: They survived it.”

“There are so many things that go into a surgical study.”

“I'm really into nutrition from the inside out.”

“Not just as a black woman, but as a woman, since the beginning of time, beauty has been our responsibility.”

“Exercise is about being grateful for the body you have and sustaining the life you have.”

“We're all moving at such a high rate that we have to grab the frozen dinners and the McDonald's. We can't make it a way of life - we have to get back to real, simple, clean good foods. It will save our lives on so many levels; not just spina bifida, but obesity, diabetes, everything. Food is our medicine.”

“Honestly, working with Eddie Murphy was mind-blowing just in terms of the budget alone. To see the respect he commands, to witness his presence, you understand why he and people like Martin Lawrence are stars.”

“If you had to work 14 hour days, Mondays to Fridays, then you have to keep Saturdays and Sundays sacred.”

“Being away from home was tough, but the challenge and the thrill of being on Broadway was so fulfilling, and I'm thankful to my husband for making it possible and holding it down at home.”

“It's not how pretty you are or how talented you are. It's that if these five people on this day in this room like you, then you get a job.”

“Being a pedestrian again is very exciting because in L.A. you live in your car, and you're on a freeway all the time.”

“Take all the hype out of the exercise and think of it as brushing your teeth.”

“I did everything pretty cliche as an actor in New York. I read the trades, I sent out 'head shots.'”

“Any actor will tell you that you go where the work is, especially when you have children.”