Top 66 Jurnee Smollett-Bell Quotes

As women, I think we give so much of ourselves.

I’m told I’m a statistic. I’m told that my young black sisters are disease-ridden… but we are greater than what society tells us we are.

The real trendsetters are the ones who rebel. Those are the ones who everyone in fashion eventually follows.

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’m a nature lover.

Marriage is a work in progress, but it’s beautiful.

Marian Wright Edelman is a mentor and hero of mine.

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.

The AIDS epidemic began before I was born – I’ve never known a world without it. And yet, despite its omnipresence in our lives, there remains a pervasive silence around AIDS among young people, particularly young women.

I always said, ‘Whenever I get pregnant, I’m going to embrace all of the body changes that happen.’ My focus has not been on any sort of snap-back or anything like that, because your body won’t be the same after giving birth, and if anything, that’s something to be celebrated, embraced, and owned.

Before being a mom, I remember going on a Twitter rant during the whole George Zimmerman trial in Florida about my younger brothers and how one day I’ll be the mom of a black son.

I have respect for therapists in general, because they hear so many stories. It’s a lot to hold and take in.

That’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life – people underestimating me.

There’s a lot of progress happening in TV. You have amazing shows like ‘How to Get Away With Murder.’ You have people like Shonda Rhimes, Lee Daniels with ‘Empire,’ and Jason Katims with ‘Friday Night Lights’ and ‘Parenthood.’ You have people behind the scenes writing complex women.

When I was 12 years old, I got involved with an organization called Artists for a New South Africa. One of its missions is to help with HIV/AIDS awareness.

Part of an ensemble show is realizing it’s a collaboration. It’s like a symphony. Everybody takes their turn, but it’s really the collective group that matters.

Vanessa Williams in person is like… the camera cannot capture how gorgeous this woman is! She is just so breathtaking.

I’m very opinionated and passionate when it comes to my characters.

Never let anyone silence your voice.

My dream role is actually behind the camera. I want to direct.

It’s not very exciting to go to work to just have your character’s identity being defined by her relationship with her male counterparts.

Until we really heal the wounds that we dealt with during slavery, I don’t think we’ll be a fully realized country.

I’m a research queen.

My mom bought me an ‘Anne of Green Gables’ journal. And I just remember thinking it was so cool, and I could write anything in it.

People look at you, and they think they know you. They think they can place you in a certain category by what they think they know about you. But there’s so much more to all of us than what we know and what we see at face value.

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.

Far too often, I read a script where the girls are the girlfriend or the set dressing.

My mom is African-American, Native-American, Irish, and Creole, and my father is of Jewish, Russian, and Polish descent. It’s made me who I am. Because of my diverse background, I think I can relate to many different people, different stories, and different communities.

‘Full House’ was the first time I had ever been in front of a live audience. I said a line I had rehearsed with my mom, and they laughed. It was wild. To have that energy of the live audience was like, Whaaat? Feeding off that live audience was, to a 4 or 5 year old, a high.

We never get fashion shows in L.A.! Ever!

I love to get in the library and just spend days researching characters.

I always told my representatives, ‘Look, I come from the ‘School of Janet’ – that’s my mom – she raised me to know that I’m more than just set dressing.

I like sitting down and watching games.

It’s such a transition and it’s so empowering to become a mom, but there are also many challenges. Just remind yourself, every minute, every day, to be kind to yourself.

It is a beautiful thing to work on your relationship.

I’m very picky about the kind of work that I do, and I’m fortunate to have been able to work with great directors and great actors who’ve helped me grow as an artist.

I want to tell human stories not solely based on race. There are so many great actresses and actors that are out there, and I just want to see them do good work.

I wouldn’t say I’m a Method actor, but there are times where a role will require you to live in their world.

I wouldn’t even call myself a former child star. I was a child actor; there’s a difference.

You learn a lot about yourself just by writing it down.

We got spoiled with ‘Friday Night Lights.’ Not every show is like that, and on other shows, if you try to bring that same truth or that same approach, the system of television doesn’t always allow for that level of collaboration, which is unfortunate because the work would be richer.

I’m such a huge fan of Gap! My mom used to dress me in Gap overalls that I would wear all the time, and now the idea of bringing my son into that tradition is so ironic and full-circle for 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.

The Underground Railroad, which was the first integrated civil rights movement, is a part of our history that not a lot of us know about. And it’s actually a very empowering side of our history.

I would be ignorant to say colorism doesn’t exist; it’s gross and disgusting.

I’m so proud of ‘Underground’ because it’s this thriller; it’s this action- adventure. It’s unexpected. People think it’s gonna one be one thing – they think it’s gonna be very depressing and downtrodden – and it’s empowering.

I don’t know if I would be doing what I do without ‘Eve’s Bayou,’ and I don’t know if I would have the career that I have without working on ‘Eve’s Bayou.’ The love for what I do, I found it in that project.

There’s still a really divisive residue in our nation that’s called racism and prejudice and oppression and sexism.

I just live my life. I go where I feel God is calling me.

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 like the idea of matchmaking; I’m just not very good at it. It’s too much pressure!

The slave narratives, there is a wealth of research there, because you are hearing stories from the first person account, and that’s a whole different thing than reading about it in the history books. You’re able to really personalize it.

There’s something about driving through Texas, and it’s hot, your skin is sticking to you. The environment affects your attitude and your swagger.

We used to play touch football, where you put the little rag in your pocket. I was good because I was fast. I wasn’t the greatest at catching. Sometimes the ball would come so hard and fast that it’d knock the wind out of me.

There are obstacles and challenges that my dark-skinned sisters face that I will never know. How they are perceived when they walk in a room of strangers is something I will never truly know.

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.

When I was younger, I really struggled with confidence.

Little Richard played my uncle on ‘Full House.’ He’s fabulous. I remember him being incredibly kind to me. I just remember him being super, super nice.

I’ve always been proud that I come from people who were activists, who have this indomitable spirit. I am proud to have inherited the spirit of resistance and revolution.

Oftentimes, a history book in school will talk about the Underground Railroad as if it’s one sentence. But thousands of people decided to run, and they single-handedly changed the trajectory of our nation. By running to the North, they put a face to slavery, which recruited a lot of abolitionists.

If I have a jump rope and a resistance band, I can work out anywhere. Even without a jump rope. If you do 200 jumping jacks, then drop and do some crunches, and then do some squats, you’re good.