Rutina Wesley quotes:

My body is a reflection of how grateful I am for my life and my health; there are a lot of people less fortunate than me.

I'd like to do a romantic comedy like 'Notting Hill,' which is one of my favorite movies.

When I got into high school, my favorite artist was definitely Janet Jackson.

When I was 7, an old lady was driving too fast in my neighborhood and hit me with her car. I was running out of the house, and when I got halfway into the street, my mom saw the car and yelled for me to run back. As I turned around the car hit me, dragged me five houses down the road, and I fractured my collarbone.

Id like to do a romantic comedy like Notting Hill, which is one of my favorite movies.

I always have my Beats by Dr. Dre headphones turned up high. I'll probably be deaf by age 50.

I did my first Broadway play, 'The Vertical Hour,' in 2006, with Julianne Moore, who's always been one of my favorite actresses. My scene was with her, so it was nerve-racking.

Viola Davis should be a household name. So should Angela Bassett.

I think that as a young lady, you start off not knowing what you want to do, and then you kinda arrive at yourself by the time you're 17 or 18, hopefully. And that's what I did.

Dance is in my background.

Kristin Bauer is so funny. Half the time I'm working with her I'm just trying to keep a straight face.

When I studied at Juilliard, I did a lot of pushups and became this diesel machine. I was really big and was like, 'This is not a good look for an ingenue.'

It wouldn't be 'True Blood' if somebody didn't die.

I could be ordering ham at the deli, and someone will turn around and look at me and kind of stare. They'll just look at me like, 'I know I know your voice, and I know I know your face.'

Fiona Shaw is one of my idols. She's phenomenatastic. I just make up a word for her - that's how much I love her.

I worked as a singing, dancing busgirl in high school.

I love 'Flashdance.' I thought it was so cool!

The theatre at my school was awesome. It was a 1,400-seat auditorium, so, being in that auditorium at 17, and having, like, 1,400 people cheer for you was, like, one of the most amazing feelings that I've ever felt, energy-wise. It just felt right.

I really love Adina Porter.

For me, I have this tough exterior and these Angela Bassett arms, and people think, 'Oh, my God, Rutina's tough.'

If I'm going to be honest with you, when I trained at school, I feel like I was training to be a chameleon. I want to be that versatile actor who can do anything - that's why you learn fifty different dialects, you do Shakespeare, you do commedia, you do it all so that if any job comes your way, you should be able to do it.

You know, it cuts both ways... no one wants to lose a job, but everybody wants to work.

I want to do parts that are outside of the box.

I always try to make sure that I stay connected to theater so I continue to be inspired. Not that I'm not inspired by television.

It's really maddening out there for dark-skinned actresses in terms of the opportunities we get. There's just so much talent that is being overlooked.

I'm all about the crossover. The role doesn't necessarily have to be white or Latina or black. It could be anything. But it's hard in Hollywood, because sometimes it's all about the box office. Or all about looks and things like that. It's not about the story that they have to tell.

Doing a play is so fulfilling. Words cannot describe how I feel when I finish doing a play.

I'm in a comic book now. That was cool. That's something that I'm still sorta reeling about, 'cause I read comics as a kid. Someone drew me, and actually did a pretty good job!

If vampires and werewolves were walking around today, there would be chaos. People would be losing their minds.

Every morning, I'm visited by hummingbirds. I think it's nice, but maybe they're planning an attack?

Hollywood can jack you up and then help you fall, but it can also raise you up.

When you're not working is when you have to stay positive and remind yourself that you're talented.

Who has ownership over stories these days?

Musicals are my favorite. I'm a musical theater buff.

Comic-Con is so much fun.

I enjoy working with Deborah Ann, I think she's brilliant. It's been a joy.

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, and then I left there to go to the University of Evansville where I majored in theatre.

People can be really mean - they say the most vicious things.