KHANDI ALEXANDER

So the only things I was being allowed to audition for were small roles in comedies. It broke my heart. No one would see me for anything else. I knew, in order to open up my career, I had to leave or that's all I would ever be given.

I don't like to be pigeonholed; I don't like when people won't see me for something because they don't think I can do it. I always feel like, at least give me the shot.

Talk about divine intervention. I can't even tell you how blessed I feel.

This hiatus coming up I'm looking at a comedy because I need the balance.

I have deep comedic roots, and I want to be funny.

I said, 'I'll give myself two years. If I can't support myself as an actress within two years, then I'll go back to choreography.'

I had always done theater during the entire six years I was with 'CSI: Miami.'

In the case of 'News Radio,' I loved that show. I loved the actors and the producers, but I was longing very much for something more to sink my teeth into me. I think it was an incredibly smart show, but I found myself on the peripheral of a lot of it.

I feel that the work that I have done in the comedy arena, is priceless in terms of what I learned, timing, everything that these incredibly talented performers were generous enough in teaching me.

I like comedy, I love it very much, I love laughing.

There's nothing worse than having a very strong female character and then suddenly having it go away.

Stupidity took me pretty far.

I have always loved Scott Foley.

I love that movie 'Chicago.'

I never get recognized. Most of the time, when people think they know me, they believe I'm a member of their family. And that's the way I like it. That's just fine.

When you stop to take a minute and look at Queen Latifah's career, she came out of the box right. You know, 'Ladies First!' And she's been consistent with that message of female self-empowerment. She really has!

I don't know anyone who's 100 percent pure - nor do I have any interest in portraying anyone like that.

On 'Scandal,' the majority of the cast, if not all of the cast, comes from theater, so it's a healthy environment. People come into work and actually go home to their families.

I never saw a consistent through-line of employment for black actresses. I was like, 'How are they supporting themselves?'

I really enjoy working on 'Scandal.' It's so much fun.

I love playing characters that are unrecognizable.

When you've worked as long as I have, which I'm truly grateful for, you go in and out of these different environments. Sometimes it's not so much fun or easy or healthy. Sometimes you're fighting a lot of things off-camera that have nothing to do with the work on-camera.

I started a list of all my friends who had died of AIDS, and I stopped at 78. I think about things like that, and I'm just real glad to be here.

People come into work and actually go home to their families. They want to go there and explore and have a good time, but they also want to go home, which is the best kind of working environment. You go in and do your job, and then you go home and enjoy your life.

I'm not a method actress.