Quotes About Representation

The fact that I'm able to portray these complex, fully realized, queer Asian characters? I never thought it would be in this position. You just never see those types of characters and that type of representation.

We have to fundamentally change the way people are elected to political office in this country, as well as the types of people that are going into political office. It's dysfunctional because people on each side are only talking to themselves - they're not talking to each other and that is a function of how they get elected.

I've had a somewhat typical experience in that many of the contemporary writers I was exposed to early on were white and often male.

I feel like I have a very typical west African physique, and that is part of my blackness!

There wasn't a single good character in 'Titanic' who was English and this is typical.

People look at me and they don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal.

In a typical history book, black Americans are mentioned in the context of slavery or civil rights. There's so much more to the story.

When I started out in the industry I was 14 and a beanpole, but over the last few years I've grown. For the most part I feel pretty OK with how I look. I know I'm different from the typical Hollywood ideal of what is beautiful. But quite frankly I don't think that's attainable, and I'm happy to represent something different.

'The Martin Show,' the 'Jamie Foxx show,' 'Living Single,' 'The Wayans Brothers,' 'Hanging with Mr. Cooper...' Some of these shows were good, some were typical television, but they facilitated a lot of work for blacks in front of as well as behind the camera. A lot of us in Hollywood thought it was the beginning of a real racial breakthrough.

People look at me, and they don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal. I always thought I'd be the white person in a black play.

When people see a Spanish last name, they have an image in their head of what the typical Latina looks like. I think it's important on television to have different representations of people. And I'm so proud of being Latina. I love it.

I love directors who aren't going back to the stereotypes, who are helping write and create roles for women that are not in the typical Hollywood box. I'm very, very interested in films that are going outside of stereotypical roles for women.

There were definitely auditions and even bookings and jobs where I played your typical Asian model minority: an IT tech guy or something of that nature. It's tough sometimes, especially when you're starting out, because they make these roles sound as if they won't be a typical nerd.

It was exciting to play a gay person in high school who's really proud of himself and isn't dealing with the sort of typical story line - the coming-out story - but is already out and sort of an advocate in his own way.

People don't understand the tyranny of media. The few women that the media will allow in have to think about male approval and their own success - and their writing reflects that.

In the laws of the land, she has no rights; in government she has no voice. And in spite of another principle recognized in this Republic, namely, that 'taxation without representation is tyranny,' she is taxed without being represented.

The sport needs a personality, not a fighter. We've got plenty of great fighters in the sport, but no personalities. No one is standing for anything. The last personality we had was Mike Tyson. He stood for something. It wasn't much, but he stood for something.

There aren't that many female role models in science. There are a couple of women, but mostly you've got Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss - they're all guys. Bill Nye the Science Guy. I love that guy, but it's all guys.

Let's face it: there aren't a lot of black superheroes. So, in dealing with a black superhero, you're going to deal with ugly history and the beauty of history.

'Into The Gloss,' what I think it did so well was create a conversation around beauty and make beauty the main event as opposed to the ugly step-sister, which it often is in magazines.

When I started, fashion for curvy women was very ugly.

As long as ugly people are not on TV, you should only ever have interesting people on TV.

Man's ultimate concern must be expressed symbolically, because symbolic language alone is able to express the ultimate.

I really want to play a superhero. I want to take the role-model thing up a notch. I've always been a fan of movies and TV, and to be able to play the ultimate TV superhero would be awesome.