Disappointment builds character and strength.
Nafessa Williams
When you follow your dreams, you encourage other people to follow theirs.
We all have that superhero inside us, but it's about tapping into it and embracing it and owning it.
Debbie Allen and Regina King inspire me.
I tried to take advantage of what I could in Philly. But when it was time to move on, I moved on to New York. There, I booked a series regular role on 'One Life To Live.' I played a character named Deanna Forbes. She was my first big job. It was on daytime TV. And it was a great opportunity until that show got canceled.
Believe it or not, I am a tomboy.
Will Smith has always been an inspiration for me.
I'm always wanting and willing to be a voice for my people, a voice for the injustice.
My dream is to be on 'Saturday Night Live.' I'm going to do everything to make that happen.
I think it can be difficult for young lesbian or young gay, bisexual, transgender to come out and be open with who they are because there's such a huge stigma attached to that preference of their sexuality.
Who would've thought that this little girl in the ghetto in Philly would be playing the first black lesbian superhero on network TV?
I didn't have a brown-skinned superhero growing up who wore cornrows and who reflected the inner city where I come from in Philadelphia.
I get my swag from Philly. I get my hustle from Philly. I get my work ethic from Philly.
I did not know much about 'Black Lightning' beforehand, but I always wanted to play a superhero. After getting the part, I went back and read the comic books.
Growing up, I'd watch 'The Cosby Show' and 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air;' I'd look at the little brown girls and be inspired by them.
I think I have proven that I can play any type of character.
In most superhero shows, the superhero is pretty young. He's in his 20s; he's single. 'Black Lightning' is a man who's middle-aged, going through a divorce, and has two daughters.
My workouts always start with doing some cardio.
I think it's very important to find something that you do that helps center you.
I really look up to my mother and the strength that she has built in me, especially the strength in her faith, which has inspired me to turn my dreams into reality.
I know what it's like to be in college and not have the budget to fully look the way I want to.
I believe love is love.
It's cool to stay active and keep my body going.
I believe gratitude leads to happiness.
Successful artists don't follow trends; they create them.
I am so proud to be a Philadelphian. I believe there's a different drive and hustle that's instilled in us.
This is the most rewarding experience ever, taking on the role of Thunder as an actress. I'm just grateful and honored to give my voice to Thunder because she's so bold.
I followed my dreams and went to Hollywood. My mom was like, 'Wait a minute - I thought you were going to be a lawyer.' I said, 'You know what, Mom? You're going to have to see me play one on TV.'
I grew up in the inner city. It wasn't a joke.
If I wasn't from Philly, I couldn't promise you that I would have the same drive and the same ambition because, as a little kid, I always saw myself as making it out, and I would escape with television.
Representation is necessary, and we all want to turn on the TV and see characters who look like us and represent us in some way.
I prefer running on the track because, for me, the treadmill can get a little boring.
I switch up between going to the gym or exercising outside to run around a track and the stairs of a stadium.
To come and turn the TV on and see Black Lightning trying to make a change and being a leader and stepping up, I hope that it inspires people within their own communities to try to make a change and to walk in their own superhero.
I think that's when life began for me: when I started to follow my dreams.
I graduated with all honors, and I was about to take the LSATs, and I was working at a law firm, and I hated it.
Sometimes you don't know what is it you want to do until you try it.
I am African-American, and I am a proud African-American. I just don't like to put myself in a box and say, 'I'm an African-American actress.' I am an American actress, and I can do any kind of role.
Most superheroes are young or in their 20s, and as you can see with Black Lightning, he's in his mid-40s and he has a family, so that affects you a bit differently as opposed to being a young, single superhero.
I believe that young lesbian women need to see themselves on TV. They need to see the representation, especially young black lesbians.
Beyonce's 'Freedom' - I listen to that when I am suiting up and getting into superhero mode.
I want everyone to be aware of what their superpower is because I believe that we all have superpowers.
I want lesbians to be inspired and to feel comfortable with who they are and walk boldly in that.
I hope that people understand that with education, we can be our own superhero.
I just want people to understand that regardless of what it is that you do - whether you're a teacher, whether you are a doctor, a single mother, a college student, a big sister - that you have strength within you, and I want people to be inspired to walk in their own superhero regardless of what it is that they do.
It's nice to be a part of a show I was passionate about and that's pushing the culture forward. I feel 'Black Lightning' is doing that for sure.
Ultimately, my goal is to inspire little brown girls that look like me, that are sitting on the porch wearing cornrows.
I believe what makes Black Lightning different from other superhero shows and other superheroes is that he's really, really family-oriented. You get to see his entire family as well as his daughters being superheroes and diving into that universe.
It's very necessary, showing the positive aspect of a black father. We see a lot of black women being the head of the household and holding the house down, but I think we need to have those images because there are black fathers out there who are doing the same thing and who are the glue to the family. That's who Black Lightning is.
All my life, I call myself wanting to be a lawyer because of Clair Huxtable. But the real dream was to be an actress.
