Quotes from Diane Guerrero

When you're the child of undocumented immigrants, you learn to keep your mouth shut.

My father, who worked as a dishwasher, was especially anxious. He did not like being here undocumented.

I went through depression, which is something that we don't often talk about when we look at undocumented communities and deported families.

I am conscious of the community that I'm representing and don't play into stereotypes.

My real story is this: I am the citizen daughter of immigrant parents who were deported when I was 14. My older brother was also deported.

Crazy Jane is a complex individual who always has a lot brewing. She tries to hold things together on the surface, which is something that we all try to do. She uses these different personalities to try to cope with life.

I think despite what we've seen on TV, people like seeing women and knowing about women's stories and their struggles and their truth. I think we've seen it in a lot of these shows - when there's a cast of all women, it does very well.

Anybody who lives in Colombia knows that if you don't have any money - I tell you what - you don't have many options.

As a kid, I felt like I had no voice, felt like I had no options, and that's what drove me to this really dark place.

I worked a variety of jobs in retail and at coffee shops all through high school. And, though I was surrounded by people who cared about me, part of me ached with every accomplishment, because my parents weren't there to share my joy.

Even if you can't be an activist every day, when you can be, do it.

I dreamed of being an artist.

I don't think you're ever ready to read your life back to yourself and try to make it entertaining for others.

I love entertaining people! It's who I am.

I want to be viewed like a serious actress, and I'm afraid that people are just going to see me as the poor little girl whose parents were deported when she was 14.

If we value children and family, there's a great need for change, and we should try immigration reform - create a path for citizenship for people already here, update the visa system.

My job as an actor is to be visible and to tell stories.

I don't know why I was lucky enough to have people in my community take me in. To be able to continue school. Or why I was lucky enough to find work or go to college. I do know that kind of luck is one in a million.

I'm not one for lying to children.

No one checked to see if I had a place to live or food to eat, and at 14, I found myself basically on my own.