Maybe, as a Chinese woman, I was never told I would be a filmmaker, so I didn't have the ego set up.
Lil Uzi and I gave Philly different sounds by stepping outside of the box and not sticking to the stigma.
I want to go to places that are unexpected of me because people really think they have me pegged.
One of the most rebellious things a woman can do is allow people to think she’s mean.
All my life men like you've sneered at me, and all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust.
No one expected you to amount to much," she told me. "Lori was the smart one, Maureen the pretty one, and Brian the brave one. You never had much going for you except that you always worked hard.
My message is don't be discouraged by anything anybody tells you. In my case of the science thing, and I just ignored people who said, 'Oh, girls don't do that.'
Here's the thing, back in the day, a lot of guys would make fun of me, that I would sing and dance, that I was a cheerleader. But I kept my head on straight. I had goals.
I never wanted to accept that. And so I have always fought against that in some way, shape or form and had - I've had people who have supported trying to get me in for things that were beyond the character description.
My presence and my voice on stage, it sends a clear message that you can do whatever you want in your life, break barriers, stigmas - be the new standard.
I love the idea of being the underdog, coming in with a take on this underdog character and completely blow people's expectations away. Like, 'Oh, you thought he was going to be a wimpy character? No no no.'
I want to show that it doesn't matter what people say about you or how you don't fit.
I think I'm the only 65-year-old actress in Los Angeles who hasn't had plastic surgery, so somebody's gotta play the old-lady parts!
There have been moments in my career when I've had to be tough and I've had to step up to the plate - but usually that's because a man has underestimated me. But other than that, I wouldn't say I'm a tough person.
I feel like my whole life, I've had to prove myself to so many people because I'm young and because I'm a female; it's just constant. I'm always surprising people.
Most people figured I'd be in jail. I've been proving people wrong my whole life.
If you can fight in high heels, you can walk in high heels.
As a woman there's probably 20 people in your life that have underestimated you or will. Whether that be in your career or in your personal life and you've just got to battle it.
There was no person, whether they thought I was too fat, too black, too country, too ghetto, too New York, too thug or too whatever! Nobody ultimately had the say over whether or not I was going to make it.
I'm a kid who grew up in an all African-American neighborhood and got into schools and aspired to just be me, and didn't worry about labels or anything. Just wanted to be a success at what I did.
How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself... I'm very happy to be Oprah with salsa and not Donahue in drag.
DuBois - my intellectual hero - had written an obit of Madam, praising her... I began to see Madam Walker beyond the definitions others had given her.
What motivated me as much as anything was to show the racists that a black man could bring pride and honour to Britain.
That's what I always wanted Man Repeller to do - to change the way people actually think. Showing young girls that there are no rules.
Americans are in need of very objective information, and sometimes it's easier to absorb the message through entertainment and through a great story than through the news outlets [where] everything is sensationalized. Not only are you getting information that sort of defies stereotypes, but you're also getting a wonderful story with hopefully good performances.
