Quotes About Diversity

This is an industry rife with racism, sexism and homophobia. It is so closely woven into the fabric of the business that we have become snowblind to the glaring injustices happening every day.

New Orleans is unlike any city in America. Its cultural diversity is woven into the food, the music, the architecture - even the local superstitions. It's a sensory experience on all levels and there's a story lurking around every corner.

I've never been the actor who did one job, and everyone went, 'Wow!'

Well, I've admired Anil Kumble for making optimum use of his talent, loved the tenacity of Rahul Dravid, I say wow to the free-flowing style of AB de Villiers, admired Virat Kohli for the phenomenal way he prepares and his unbelievable ability to finish matches... I also enjoy watching Rohit Sharma bat... See, it's not about one individual.

Sure, when you think 'World of Warcraft,' you might picture the nerdier set - those who may have sacrificed hygiene and sleep to reach one more experience level. But the truth is that 'WoW' is populated with players of all sorts of backgrounds, from rural housewives to NFL punters.

I remember loving 'Hairspray.' I was obsessed with it, and I didn't realise why. I felt so connected to it at the time because there wasn't any other kind of representation. So when it happens, you think, 'wow, I really connect with this movie. Why is that? Maybe it's because there's a girl like me up there on the screen.'

Prince was a hero. He was the brother, the black man that was a little different. As a kid, you thought, 'Wow, he's different. If he can do it, I can do it.' I read that he was self-taught, so I started teaching myself to play the piano.

I live near Thompson Square Park, and there are a lot of colorful people I see in the park - a lot of different personalities and homeless people - you get to know them. And every now and then, there is suddenly someone who is no longer around, and you're just like, 'Wow,' but you never really know what happened to them.

I'm not saying that I'm on some crusade to change people's minds. I'm just doing what I do. I'm a comedian, I'm trying to be funny... I think when they see a comedy show with an Iranian and an Egyptian and two Palestinians, I think they go, 'Oh wow, these guys are just like us.'

I'm just gonna keep growing as an artist, and I'm excited to work with different people and learn from all these other talented, creative people that I've been around. It's so inspiring to be around other people who have ideas you haven't thought of, and all of a sudden you're like, 'Wow! That's so amazing!'

Even in high school, I had friends that I didn't know were gay until years later. I'd find out on Facebook or something and be like, 'Oh, that explains some things,' or 'Wow, no wonder they were so cool.'

My fans saw 'Roll Bounce,' but also that older crowd who might not have been familiar with me on the music tip saw 'Roll Bounce' and loved it. 'Roll Bounce' opened up that door for me to have older people love Bow Wow and opened up that door so all of the kids would love Bow Wow. My fan base is really diverse; it's all ages and all colors.

It's hard when you play something that people are like, 'Wow that's really cool - you just did something really epic,' because you're not always going to be playing epic characters in a role.

My biggest luck was the Terry McMillan era, because what happened after the phenomenon of 'Waiting to Exhale' is that publishing woke up. They said, 'Wow. Black people do read.'

When Pakistan beat England at cricket, my Pakistani cousins remind me how English and British I am. When they say, 'You're one of the Queen's advisers,' for them it's, 'Wow - anything's possible in the U.K.'

I think representation is the most important thing in the world. People who are young look up to the things that they see in the media. They want to relate and to be able to say, 'Wow, I can be successful.'

I got a young black woman agent, and she kinda just knew what I would be attracted to. She sent me this pilot for 'Insecure.' I never saw myself as a comedy director, but when I read those pages, I said, 'Wow - this is my life on the page.'

I remember my first thing was 'CSI: Miami.' I played a Cuban gangster. And that was it. I was like, 'Wow, I don't have to clean toilets.' I could actually dress up and get paid equivalent to that. So that was my introduction into the Hollywood industry.

Other women don't go around saying, 'Wow, I'm female.' They have room in their lives for other things. That's my goal. One day, I would like to be just another girl.

I don't know how often white people look around and think, 'Wow, there's really a lot of white people here; we should fix that.' But I know black people often look around and think, 'Wow, I'm the only one here - why?'

What's wonderful about acting is that you get to play different roles. For instance, in 'Amelie,' I played a young mother. Some of the photoshoots, you're playing a role. I like to be able to look at a photo and say, 'Wow - that isn't even me.' I enjoy being able to project.

Whatever show I go to, no matter what it is - and I go to a lot of them - people say, 'Wow, I'd never expect to see you here.' I always say, 'Where do you expect to see me?'

One thing about WOW that I love is that we're taking women from all different parts of life. We have girls from jiu jitsu and an MMA background. We have mothers. We have students. We have people from everyday life who found this love for professional wrestling.

I want to be able to let people who aren't used to seeing a Santa of color say, 'Wow, there he is.' It's time for America to diversify.