Quotes from Keala Settle

I was never one of those actors who believed, 'I'm so gonna be an ingenue.' I already knew that wasn't gonna happen, and I decided not to torture myself with it.

Women put ourselves through so much. Really, everybody does; it's not a gendered thing. I think all of us are always gonna be tortured by some sense of inadequacy, no matter what. I don't know if there's a way to tell people not do this to themselves.

There is a struggle when you do represent so many countries within you, but that makes you who you are.

I never got to see the circus... I was always in love with being a trapeze artist, though.

When I was younger, my mother wanted me to look like Claudia Schiffer. I was like, 'We're not even German, but all right.'

Musically, I'm a huge fan of Stephen Sondheim, and I love, love 'Sweeney Todd.'

I wake up in the morning, and I look in a mirror, and I go, 'Is this really all I got? Is this all the universe has given me?'

I would have loved to play Atticus in 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' There's no music in it, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't want to do it!

I used to want to look like every European person that was being held up as a standard of beauty, whether in the industry or in life. Then I just realized that it's not in my genetic make-up. I decided instead to go for the gold in whatever I'm doing and just be as healthy as I can be.

The parts that I get to play are not based around the European beauty standards: They're more about character, and I love that.

I've always been afraid of who I am and not knowing what I can do.

Stevie Wonder was a big influence in my life.

I used to be a pop singer; well, not used to be. I am an R&B singer. My emphasis was on Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin.

As you get older, whatever your struggles may be - how you sound, how you look, how you dress - you grow into yourself a little bit more. You end up realizing the world wants you and not a carbon copy of six other people.

It doesn't matter if you're a Victoria's Secret model or you're someone's 90-year-old grandma or you're a little kid who's getting bullied or you're that kid's bully - everybody feels like there's something going on that's more correct than what is. We all have to reach out to one another in that fear, and we'd be surprised to hear, 'Me, too.'

It takes a damn village to get a show on Broadway!

I'm an actress who likes to work as much as possible, so I'm very grateful for all these opportunities.

If anybody says they're not afraid of themselves, they're lying!