A lot of people hustle differently, and I was like, 'You know what, let me hustle and create, and let me have something to show,' cuz my hustle led to opportunity.
Yvonne Orji
On a man, I love Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille. But I wear Orchid Soleil - I love a sweet smell.
As for my role models... you know, I'm an immigrant, so we didn't grow up with too much TV. My parents were like, 'You must read your books.'
I say all the time that when you first meet me, you know three things right off the bat: I'm Nigerian, I love to laugh, and I love Jesus.
As a performer, the thing you want the most is to be your authentic self.
I have a show called 'First Gen' that David Oyelowo is executive producing.
I like things to happen organically.
There's this idea if you are a woman of colour, that you must never let them see you break down. That we've got to show ourselves in the best light, always, as the 'Strong Black Women' and bring that 'black girl magic' all the time.
I started comedy in 2006. I didn't even think it was a thing I could do.
There's not one black narrative. There's not one way to be black.
I came to America when I was six. In true African form, my parents wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer or engineer.
As strong as we are, we have our moments. My mama is an African woman who had four kids and was a nurse for 25 years, and she had her moments. I've seen her cry.
How many shows on TV do you see young black people, both women and men, really embody a full-fledged human being, flaws and all?
I remember, growing up, it wasn't sexy to be African. We got called names.
I don't know how often white people look around and think, 'Wow, there's really a lot of white people here; we should fix that.' But I know black people often look around and think, 'Wow, I'm the only one here - why?'
You can't say you're an actor if you've never acted, and you can't act if no one gives you an opportunity, but they won't give you an opportunity because you've never acted. You're like, 'What in the world? Someone give me a chance!'
My faith - as well as my Nigerian culture - really gave me the substance and foundation to be who I desire to be in life.
I worked for a company called Population Services International, a social marketing company advocating healthy behaviors. We had a big branding campaign with celebrities to help educate about the proper use of mosquito nets, for example, to help prevent malaria.
I used to work in public health, and the issues were sustainability, how the funds were being delineated, and if the funds were actually helping the people we think they're helping.
I was looking around this room, this sea of industry folk. If I had have worn black and white, somebody would have asked me to get them a cocktail; the only other people of colour there were servers.
My mom would always say, 'Hair is a woman's beauty.' I cut my hair all off. I was completely bald, and that was, like, 'What in the world?' My mom was like, 'What happened?' She had so many questions.
If I'm home on Wednesdays, I go to Bible study. I get my God time in, definitely.
I don't know who I'll end up with, but whoever he is must have a strong religious commitment, must be someone who loves God.
There are so many professional women who have to be this boss, but when they get home, it's like, 'Can someone take care of me? Can I not be so powerful?'
I'll probably always opt for makeup because I just like the way it feels. You can play with it and create different looks, and I think that's fun. But I also want the option to not need it.
The thing about black women and black hair is that you just have to experiment.
I was so focused on advancing in my career that I didn't have enough emotional capacity for dating.
For me, I just stuck to school. I thought you can't be bullied and dumb, so books and I will be friends.
On TV, as in life, white folks are allowed to make mistakes, but usually, black people aren't.
Getting into comedy was difficult for my parents to comprehend. I think now they are really proud I stuck to it.
If you're a woman of colour and you have any level of education, you have to adapt.
Before 'Insecure,' I was a wedding emcee - a host for weddings. That's a world that a lot of people are not familiar with.
I took organic chemistry, and I got my first-ever F. I ended up going to summer school, and the whole time, I'm thinking, 'I am not good at sciences.'
High school is really when I came into my own.
I always say my Christianity and my virginity don't limit options. I think that they refine my options.
People are surprised I do comedy! And I'm like, 'Guys, that's all I have been doing. For, like, forever.'
I want to own a comedy club.
I knew I didn't want to be a doctor but didn't know what I wanted to do. I prayed, and all I heard back was: 'Do comedy.' It was something I had never done before, but I gave in, tried comedy, and the rest is history.
Sometimes you are the only living, walking, breathing version of the Bible that people will ever see. What long-lasting taste are you going to leave in their mouths? A lot of people have left a bad taste. And it's so unfortunate, because God is the best!
It's great for people to give out of the kindness of their hearts, but because we're in a consumerist society, it's also great to have the opportunity to give and get.
I grew up Catholic, so I had a more traditional relationship with religion.
My father just instilled in me that either you're going to be No. 1 or nothing at all.
New York is a walking city, so you'll be dressed to the nines, and you'll go out, and you feel more special and more pretty because more people acknowledge you.
I have immigrant, African parents. They would say, in their Nigerian accents, 'So you want to be a jester?' And I was like, 'I don't want to be a court jester, Ma. I want to be a comedian.'
I remember talking to old-school African American grandpops, and they're just like, 'When I saw my wife, I looked up from across the street, and I said, 'That girl gon' be my wife someday.' And we've been married 45 years.' Like, what? That's all it took?
There's a lot of negative speak about what it means to be an immigrant. I'm like, 'OK, I don't know where that came from.' We do the dirty jobs. We do the good jobs. We get the job done.
I think there is this narrative that if you are a black woman, and you are strong, and you are educated, it's like, 'Good luck getting a black man.'
I grew up with three older brothers, so I'm very much a tomboy in real life.
You can't tell me no, because you can't tell Jesus no. It doesn't work.
What you see on TV is what you believe you can be.
