Only people who have been allowed to practise freedom can have the grown-up look in their eyes.
We were the only black family in an estate with 1,000 white families. Liverpool being quite racist in the Sixties, it was a bit grim growing up.
Growing up, in church we had the homily; at home it's what I call the 'momily' - the inspirational and instructive mom-isms that every family has.
Girls need to be strong and know how to stand up for themselves. Definitely having friends is a big part of it, so that they can help you through that, and a strong family.
Growing up with three brothers and three sisters, I was the storyteller of the family... what my mother called 'The Liar.'
TV has gone back to basics, relating to middle class family with real characters, less make-up and simple shots. I feel as an actor it is a delight to work in such shows.
When I was a child, I always wanted to be funny and to please people in my family. As you grow up that instinct becomes more refined, but it's still there.
I think if I wasn't a singer I'd probably do make-up and beauty and hair and something creative like styling; I really enjoy it.
My unusual beauty tip is that I often use Vaseline to take my make up off. It works great and is good for sensitive skin.
I didn't grow up around wild horses, no. But I've appreciated their beauty and their power ever since I can remember.
I did not grow up a cinefile. No one in my family was in the film business or even anything close to it.
Your billion-dollar ideas don't show up in the middle of dramatic distraction. They show up when you have the business and personal discipline to make space for your creative mind to flourish.
It takes both courage and talent to stand up in front of fellow human beings and make them crack a smile, and at the same time keep it clean.
I always wished I had a chance to meet an NFL player or even a college player when I was growing up in Los Angeles.
What's cool about Twitter is that you can make a joke about something very of-the-moment or random that I wouldn't be able to joke about in stand-up.
I think the idea that women can stand up and be strong and still be seen as beautiful and sexual is kind of cool, and I would like to see more of that.
If you're sad about what you see in the mirror when you wake up every morning, you must change it.
But, what did happen is I went to Woodstock as a member of the audience. I did not show up there with a road manager and a couple of guitars. I showed up with a change of clothes and a toothbrush.
At home, growing up, we weren't really poor. We had everything we needed, we just didn't have what we wanted.
I was very independent growing up, but there were things that were bothering me that I never told anybody. I would talk to our animals at home.
I'm pretty shy when I go home because I was pretty shy growing up, and I think I go back to that person.
