Renee Elise Goldsberry

I love the opportunity to tell stories that people should know. I think it puts what we do as actors on the level of nurses and doctors. It takes us out of this idea of entertainment into an act of service.

I was madly in love with Michael Jackson.

We are all good at things - a varied assortment of things - and we all desperately need to find out what those things are for our self-esteem. If there is anything young people need, it is confidence and an identity and a purpose.

As a child, I loved to sing. When I was 8, my mother sent my brother and me to a summer music theater program in Texas. We did 'Guys and Dolls' at the camp, and I was so depressed when it was over. That's when I realized that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

My greatest wish for my children is that they fulfill their purpose. I know that all children - and, in particular, mine - are here for a reason.

For the first time in my life, in my mid-20s, I started to question things. Had I been deceived? I thought I had been destined for something great - to be Whitney Houston or Jennifer Holliday or Phylicia Rashad. I started to realize that a lot of people think that, and it doesn't happen for almost everyone.

When I first became a mother, I didn't want my son to have any extra exposure to what I did. I had this theory that if he wanted to do what I do for a living, it should be organic and come from him, not from the fact that this was just what he saw all the time.

My path to motherhood was challenging, to say the least, and I always feel like I'm living a 'Sliding Doors' version of my life.

My first experience with the arts must have been the sound of my mother singing to me when I was in the womb. The sound of my father singing to me when he held me. The sound of The Temptations records that they played.

I was so involved in the regular joy of school that I didn't do any plays. On a dare, I auditioned for 'South Pacific' my junior year. I showed up at the last minute to the audition and ended up getting cast as the lead. I haven't turned back since then.

I feel like my whole career has been a blessing. In particular, the opportunity to be a part of 'Hamilton' was life-changing.

I think you have to chase your life even harder than you chase your career.