Quotes from Jurnee Smollett-Bell

There are obstacles and challenges that my dark-skinned sisters face that I will never know. How they are perceived when they walk in a room of strangers is something I will never truly know.

I am oftentimes the ear for some people that I know and love. Which I like being. I don't know if I'd like being a marriage counselor, though, because that's too deep for me.

I'm very opinionated and passionate when it comes to my characters.

When I was younger, I really struggled with confidence.

I walk in a space of gratitude. I'm so grateful to God for blessing me with an amazing family and the opportunity to do what I love.

We got spoiled with 'Friday Night Lights.' Not every show is like that, and on other shows, if you try to bring that same truth or that same approach, the system of television doesn't always allow for that level of collaboration, which is unfortunate because the work would be richer.

People look at you, and they think they know you. They think they can place you in a certain category by what they think they know about you. But there's so much more to all of us than what we know and what we see at face value.

Everyone has a past, but I try not to let that affect the way I see them; I want to get to know who they are today.

I don't know if I would be doing what I do without 'Eve's Bayou,' and I don't know if I would have the career that I have without working on 'Eve's Bayou.' The love for what I do, I found it in that project.