As an actor, it was important to me to play gay characters because, growing up, it was something I never really saw done on television and in film, and I was questioning why there weren't more people like me.

When you're surrounded by a world of constant lies, manipulation, and deceit, that dark energy is bound to seep into you eventually.

The entertainment industry is a microcosm of the real world. To be 'othered' within the industry is a reflection of where we have been cast in the outside world, existing in the margins of society for decades witnessing cisgendered, heterosexual whiteness as the clearly defined default to which we must cater.

It's important to be able to have representation for black queer women, because I feel like there's not much representation for them in the mainstream.

People make me key chains... someone attached a Dauntless symbol to a silver pen. That one is what I use to sign books. I use that a lot. I like to keep them around because they remind me that people are waiting for these books and that they really love them. It gives me motivation in those times when I'm not feeling very motivated.

I could hardly believe that she really existed, that she wasn't a dream. There was something miraculous about Dorothy Stratten.

We learned not to let the fear of failure stop us from attempting to fulfil our dreams - whether that dream involved a change in career, attempting to set world records, or helping young people.

If Leander Paes can be playing in Grand Slams at 44 and Narain Karthikeyan race at 40 and be so successful at it, I see no reason why I can't play at 34. They are my motivation, as they have set targets and standards for people like us to achieve.