I took my dad's name to carry on his legacy because acting feels like something I'm meant to do. I want to try everything.Collection: Dad
I went to school for singing, middle school at LaGuardia High School. Followed by Berkeley College of Music and afterwards I went to acting school at the Neighborhood Playhouse for Theater.
There's no greater feeling than knowing that you helped in transforming someone and moving them through art. It's a beautiful thing.
Writing 'Blue Bird' gave me strength, courage, and power from my own words and melodies in a time when I needed it the most.
Speaking my truth. I think that's the number one thing, man. That's my 2018 mantra. Speak your truth, because you hold all that in, it's going to destroy you.
My father would take me to auditions and put me in the room right in the corner because he was watching me; he couldn't get a babysitter. He'd be at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the LES until four in the morning, trying to tell his story and using his craft, but because he had a kid that didn't let him stop.
In 'Blindspotting' I play a girl from Oakland, I've got an accent, I've got long, '90s 'Poetic Justice' braids, and in 'Monsters and Men' I play a girl from Brooklyn.
It's amazing what art can do.
I remember going on iTunes and 'Hamilton' was like the number one rap album, above like Fetty Wap, which is just impossible, like a Broadway cast album.
A lot of the magic is off-Broadway.
My mom lives on a mountain in the Catskills.
That theater community that comes with acting and being in the theater is second nature to me. It's in my blood.
I grew up being that kid backstage doing my math homework and my father made sure I knew from everybody in the cast to the lighting people and to respect everyone in the theater and all the way down to the janitor. It's a part of my childhood. It's what I know really.
I love being on Broadway and it's awesome and a dream come true but also it's about the work and making sure you're doing what you're doing right.
My style changes constantly, but I always love a baggy, ripped-up vintage jean with combat boots and a button-up shirt.
Sometimes you get the luxury of having a script for a really long time, and you can get to talk with the director or the producers, and evolve with the role.
You have these people that fight wars for their country, and then they come home and they need to attend to their mental health, and they can't get a job. That's a real thing.
I'm constantly working on music.
You have to try things! You have to jump off the edge and run through your fear.
Hamilton' has changed my life in so many ways. I really do have a family from that show. The people that I shared that stage with every night- they mean so much to me and they're so special and so talented. I'm just a fan of every single one of them and it was an honor to share that stage with them.
I think 'Hamilton' has made me look at myself deeper as an artist and what I'm looking for as an artist.
Ever since I did 'Hamilton' I'm really specific with the projects that I choose and the characters I choose and how they're portrayed. I was meaningful with my craft before, but I think after doing something that can change people, the direction in how I go within this business has changed too.
My dad, he's a great father, but he's also been one of my mentors.
I would tell my younger self not to change for anyone. There's only one you, which makes you unique.
When you're constantly stuck in your comfort zone, it means you're not growing.
I think, any of your audition songs should really be a song that you are so confident with and can pull out of your back pocket. Find a song that shows your entire range very quickly.
My SAG card was from doing 'Blue Bloods,' an episode called 'Justice Served.'
It's fun to play the vixen.
High school at LaGuardia really was like 'Fame.' People would sing in the halls and look for ways to show off their talent.
I've lived in the same apartment since seventh grade. It's in my name now; my mom moved upstate.
Whatever character I play, I want to inspire. I don't want to just be the girlfriend or be the wife.
Get creative with your friends and just make stuff because you never know where it can end up.
Oh my God, when I auditioned for 'Hamilton,' I kept messing up the words to 'Say No To This.'
Sometimes, you go into an audition, and sometimes you're just not on it completely 100 percent.
The first time I'm nominated for an Emmy and I get to share it with my dad who introduced me to theater at a very, very young age, it's a very full-circle type thing.
I'm still a woman of color in this business and there are times when you still have to walk through extra doors and have extra things to prove.
It's inspiring to play a woman who stands up for herself.
You hope to be a part of something that makes you a better artist when you leave.
I look up to my parents because they were both following their dreams. But I also know the heartache and I saw how hard it is and that you really, really gotta love what you do.
When people are feeling a bunch of feelings or there's something happening within the world, a lot of people get healing through music, or a lot of people's go-to entertainment to find some answers or understand something.