Quotes from KiKi Layne

I left before I had the opportunity to pursue work more widely in Chicago.

The texture my hair, my skin tone; it does work, you don't have to change. But historically we've seen fashion try to change that: straighten your hair, thrown on a super straight silky wig, lighten your skin tone.

I know for me personally, I'm a person that tends to pull back from the people that love me when I'm going through something.

I'm very thankful I went to college, because I've seen the difference that it makes for me in the professional world. After graduation, I was building a name for myself in the Chicago theater scene, but there was always this pull to L.A.

I used to have really bad acne and so there's a cream and a gel that I use.

We witness so many people lose themselves in this industry, and sacrifice who they really are for success and accolades.

I feel there's a really raw quality in the Chicago theater community that's really special.

I'm not extra, I'm not going to be the person walking around the house in an extravagant gown during quarantine.

Acting is communication. It's giving and receiving.

Watching 'Moonlight,' I just recognized this patience in the film - allowing moments to live and linger - and I just thought that was so beautiful.

Seeing all of these beautiful brown faces and having that patience for them to live in whatever it was that they were living in; I was just so blown away by the artistry that I recognized in 'Moonlight' - the colors, the music.

I want to push the boundaries on the roles that have historically been given to actresses who look like me. There is so much more we can do. There always has been.

That is the thing that brought the Black community through so many of the hardships that we've faced historically. It's the ability to love and laugh and experience joy still in so many ways.

Will Smith is my favorite actor, because he has so much variety in his career. He's done all types of roles, played in all types of worlds, and to me, that's the fun of acting. That's why I started doing it when I was eight years old, because you get to be whatever you want.

We all live in different worlds and situations, so what's the issue with representing that on screen?

That love and loyalty, that groundedness, is always there. I got the type of family that no matter how far I go in Hollywood, they will quickly remind me who the hell I am and where the hell I came from.

I think the biggest thing is reminding myself how hard I worked for it,' Layne continues. 'It wasn't just handed to me. I trained so hard; I've been so committed.

As an actor, my commitment is to be really mindful of how I'm representing Black women. It's the heart of my drive, and my career is to expand how Black women have been represented.

As much as I love to slay a red carpet hitting the ground running with 'Beale Street' and 'Native Son,' representing two such important voices in James Baldwin and Richard Wright let people know that I'm an artist and I really have something to say with this gift.

Most Sagittariuses start off really reserved. You gotta check people out, see what they're about, and then once we decide you're cool, then that's when we become super fun and really outgoing. But first we gotta make sure everybody's cool.

It's not about opening a door and shutting it right behind you. I want to keep it open so others can come behind me.

Fashion, film, and music - all these industries have ways of putting us in a box. Ultimately my goal is to push those boundaries.

'Beale Street' is such an intimate story that I think it requires intimate connections between the artists that are a part of it.

I'm very grateful that 'Beale Street' was that opportunity for me to be introduced to the industry in that way and have some doors open for me.