Daveed Diggs

I didn't know a single musical soundtrack, really, growing up. Nobody listened to musicals. That wasn't a thing I did.

That's what hip-hop is - it's about meeting the music where you are, and then you add on top of that. It's about coming at it with your full self.

Learning how to get a point across is pretty useful in any situation.

As a kid, you don't have a ton of spaces where you are honored, where what you think is honored and what you say is revered.

There's a lot of spaces that care about what kids are buying. There are a lot of spaces that care about what kids are watching. But there aren't a lot of spaces that care about what kids are saying.

As a kid, I was very shy.

I've always been very supported. I've never really been sad. I've just been broke. They are very different things.

We're very used to seeing a huge diversity of white people. You never just expect two white people on TV to feel the same way.

I liked being on stage because it gave me a reason to be around people. The other great thing about acting is it allows you to imagine circumstances different from your own. I was a poor Bay Area kid getting to pretend to be a Russian aristocrat.

Being multiracial has allowed me to feel comfortable walking in all different circles.

My mom is a white Jewish lady, and my dad is black. The cultures never seemed separate - I had a lot of mixed friends. When I was young, I identified with being Jewish, but I embraced my dad's side, too.

Being on stage, I know my function. I just do the thing.