I didn't see a lot of role models or women who looked like me on screen when I was growing up. For me, one thing that changed all of that was seeing Keke Palmer in 'Akeelah and The Bee.' That film made me realize that I wasn't an alien.

My aim is just to remain as humble and as godly as I can be.

Wherever the good stories are, I'm trying to place myself there.

I still have a lot to prove within the industry as a young person in the Marvel Universe.

When you are born gay, you are born into a rich culture of politics, music, and art, but you are also a minority in your own home.

Don't worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.

I call my tiki bar my tiki office, even though I also entertain out here all the time. This beautiful, open-air space is such a creative environment for me. It's where my writing partner and I wrote much of the script for a Mamas and Papas biopic that's in the works, and where I have my meetings.

It's just weird that for some people, art is a luxury. My parents had no artistic outlet. Some people pass down music to their kids, but I couldn't tell you what my mom's or dad's favorite song is. So when I started going out into the world, I was drawn to people who knew about movies, art, even fashion.