As much as he's been through, he's so alive and open to change. That's what I wanted to channel and I feel that's the root of who he is. So I was sti….

I really wanted to be a part of that movement or better yet create that movement..

[Ralph Angel] was really about figuring out the humanity aspect of the character and not really paying attention to certain things like him being inc….

If I choose this platform [The Black Arts Movement] and God validates this platform, I feel like we have to use the hyper-reality to get people close….

Louisiana taught me another level of humility. Everyone is so content, not socially content but spiritually. Everyone is happy with who they are and ….

I've worked so hard to just be my full self and God has just validated me in so many ways..

As a young, Black man, I absolutely feel responsible..

As a kid, there [on TV] were things I wasn't aware of - insecurities while transition from teen to adult. When I was around 17 and 18, I started seei….

Working with Ava [ DuVernay] and Oprah [Winfrey], they're just so intimate. I feel like we're really family at this point..

Everyone has a platform, so if we could just use that and combine what we have and know -we talk about it in private - we might as well talk about it….

I think that's something that Oprah [Winfrey] and Ava [ DuVernay] do seamlessly. They know how to connect to people and they know how to share our st….

I feel like that's a blessing [ Ralph Angel role]. I really just think it's about the overall message, the way it's conveyed and the people involved ….

I feel like the stillness of Ralph Angel - him being formerly incarcerated, being a Black man, being misunderstood in this world, I felt like that br….

I think that's really the allure of acting for me. I really want to connect with people..

Ralph Angel was such a great character. The single-father image has been portrayed in so many ways so having the ability to be a part of that narrati….

That [Louisiana culture] was all very new to me. I read books and watched documentaries, just trying to immerse myself..

I just owe it to myself, to God and to everybody who supports me and people who don't even know me yet, to just be fully intentional and authenticall….

I feel responsible to know what I'm talking about and to actually express myself the way I choose. We have to put those messages on a global platform….

I really got attracted to the idea of touching so many people and that idea of art transcending entertainment and art and activism being synonymous..

When the dialogue is on point and I feel like the overall story and message is really serving something that's socially progressive, it really makes ….

People respect us, they love us and they're entertained by us, so it's like when you trust somebody on that level, it's a lot easier to speak some re….