Jurnee Smollett
Jurnee Smollett
Jurnee Diana Smollett-Bell is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress appearing on television sitcoms, with her most significant regular role being on On Our Own. She received critical acclaim and Critic's Choice Award for playing title role in the 1997 independent drama film Eve's Bayou...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Actress
Date of Birth1 October 1986
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
There are so many people who will try and make you feel like your opinion doesn't matter, and I've learned how important it is to use your voice.
I am oftentimes the ear for some people that I know and love. Which I like being. I don't know if I'd like being a marriage counselor, though, because that's too deep for me.
I have so many passions outside of my passion for acting.
My little brothers loved baseball. I'm not as big on that as basketball or football, but I understand the game.
You go through those awkward, dorky, geeky stages, and growing up in the industry amplifies all that. Fortunately, I have a mother who encouraged me to build my confidence from within and embrace my imperfections.
I love music, and I love drumlines. I like school bands a lot. There's nothing wrong with cheerleading, but I'd rather be a band geek. It's a little more interesting.
I come from a family of four brothers, so I like sports.
I don't really think about the critics or the commercial success.
I just live my life. I go where I feel God is calling me.
I try to give each performance my own soul, to bring a truth to my character. Hopefully, when I bring that much truth to a character, it resonates with somebody, and it sparks some kind of emotion in them.
My best advice would be that you have to be vulnerable with each other. Like, everyone says you have to be honest, you have to communicate; like, yes, of course, but you gotta be willing to be vulnerable.
Maybe you should think about the choices in your life, how someone can come and spit some kind of game to you and make you doubt every single thing that is your life, your relationship, your appearance, your job, your ambitions, your marriage, and how those thoughts can lead to choices and behavior that you never thought that you were capable of.
There's a level of shame attached to our history, and we need to replace that shame with pride and own our history. These are our superheroes. These are our people, and I would love to see us own this side of our history with pride.