I would have to say honestly I was very pleased to be in a film whether it was good or bad with De Niro, Norton and Brando even if I don’t have any scenes with them, I thought it was pretty good company to keep.

This is a career about images. It’s celluloid; they last for ever. I’m a black woman from America. My people were slaves in America, and even though we’re free on paper and in law, I’m not going to allow you to enslave me on film, in celluloid, for all to see.

I really believe that what I do as an actress is my God-given talent. This is my calling, not my career.

My mom was always pretty supportive. She saw me do plays and she’d always act out the parts I did. My aunt, who played a big part in my life, was a little bit more reserved, because if they don’t see you on TV every week they think you must be starving.

[about making Vampire in Brooklyn] It was an interesting experience. When we made the film, we didn’t really know what it was going to become. But Eddie [Murphy] was great, and it was this strange mix of comedy, horror, and drama. It was definitely a different kind of film.