Lena Waithe
The thing for me is to always tell the truth. Not to preach, but to tell the truth.
I don't need an Emmy to tell me to go to work. I've been working.
You have to write and develop and wait for the world to catch up to your art.
When you're not as accessible, you get in a tent and get in your own head, and you start doing things that are a little out of touch. I think we've seen it happen with certain artists... people can't touch them; they're not touching people. They're only touching people in their circle.
I never want to feel too far away from people. I think that's when you get in trouble.
There's so many other talented women of color who write funny things every day, and I want them to be recognized, I want them to have a seat at the table because we're out here.
All the writers for 'The Chi,' they're all phenomenal, so I'm just working on projects with them. They have great scripts.
I'm queen of mentorship.
I feel like I've accomplished a lot, but for me, it's about pushing to the point where I can be Mark Walhberg, Ryan Murphy, or Shonda Rhimes. I want to be at that table in terms of bringing new voices in.
There's a lot of Donald Glovers, Jordan Peeles, Justin Simiens. And there's a lot of me's, too.
Wearing one hoop earring and playing with the androgyny - that's who I am. That's what I like to do. And I feel the world should see that. I'm not going to put a shield up or be more feminine to make people feel comfortable.
When people think of the South Side of Chicago, they don't think about where I'm from. It was sort of a pocket: this idyllic community of black people who took care of each other, knew each other, spent time with each other.
I was running around all the time, talking out of turn, a lot of energy, and obsessed with movies. There's nothing I loved more than going to the movies.
I remember going to 'The Wood' and leaving my friend and my mom, who I came with, to go sit in the front row because I was so excited.
I knew very early on I wanted to be a television writer. My teachers told me I was a strong writer and had a voice. I really leaned in to that.
I've been obsessed with television since I was 7 years old, and I've always been writing on some level.
People can say what they want about a person, but if you're successful and you make them money, then people don't care.
To be a black person is to come from a long bloodline of survivors and storytellers, with a resilience that people can't even comprehend.
I definitely have been very mindful of what kind of leader and creator I want to be. A lot of that has to with looking at the writers that you work with. They're all like your children. They all need love, but different versions of it.
The '80s really were - talk about no rules. People just did whatever they wanted; they could look however they wanted. There was just a lot of bigness and brightness.
I'm a big sneaker head.
I am always searching for something different or something fresh, something hasn't been done. But the truth is, at the end of the day, we're all sort of retelling something. We're doing a version of something that's already been done.
'The Breakfast Club' was one of my favorites.
Being a black person in America is exhausting.
There's something specific about Chicagoans, and I just felt like I'd love to tell their story in a creative way. Not in a way to go, 'Oh, Chicago's perfect.' I don't believe that. I don't think that. I know we have our issues.
What's 'Atlanta' about? Technically, it's about a couple guys who are friends, but to me, 'Atlanta' is about black lives. I'm getting a real look at what black life means in Atlanta.
I think the stakes are always high when you're an artist of color - to get things right, to get things perfect and make everybody happy.
I watched a ton of TV because I was raised by a single mom and spent a lot of time with my grandmother. Like most grandparents do, she would spend hours and hours in front of the TV box.
The reason I get so excited about 'Master of None' is because it's showing people of color as regular people.
It's weird because I see black gay characters on television all the time, but do I relate to them? Not always, because they're set pieces.
With success always comes mimicry.
There's been a lot of successful shows like 'This Is Us,' 'Atlanta,' and 'Insecure,' so, I feel like whenever something works, Hollywood wants to copy it.
I always love where I can plug a black woman in anywhere, and when that comes up, I don't say, 'Oh that has to be a black woman.' I say, 'Why not a black woman?'
I don't like beating people on the head with the message. I don't like standing on the soapbox.
My family still lives in Chicago: my mother, my sister, my nephew, my family is there. So even though I am not living there, I feel very close to it, and I visit very often.
I write for my people.
I can't stop my comedic voice.
My aesthetic is very black.
It's interesting how things you hear as a kid take on a whole new meaning when you are an adult.
I sort of knew very early on that I wanted to be a writer. Even in high school, I was a big movie buff, very much into TV shows, and would critique them.
One of my favorites is 'Parks and Recreation.' Great show; awesome writing; beautiful, diverse cast. They also have a very diverse writer's room, which I love.
Growing up, I didn't just watch 'The Cosby Show.' I watched 'Growing Pains' and 'Family Ties,' too.
I actually really liked 'The Help.' I know that may not be a popular thing, but I thought it was a solid film. It wasn't 'Roots.' It wasn't 'The Color Purple.' But you couldn't pick it apart in terms of storytelling, and I thought the characters were well written.
It's always been my intention to never be boxed in. I never like to do something that it feels like I've done before.
I consider myself more of a writer than I do a director.
For me, my brand is good storytelling.
I'm a big believer in writing really good dialogue.
Obviously, I love Steph Curry. I think he's dope and a really cool player to watch.
The truth is, for me, when I was a young black girl who knew I was different, was watching TV, I would always be staring at the TV set looking for myself, and I didn't see me. And when you don't see yourself, you start to think that you don't matter, or you start to think that something is wrong with you.