My real name is Elizabeth, but I had a nanny growing up who called me 'Elizabeanie.' So from 4 months old, my brothers were, like, 'Let's call her Beanie.' To show people the validity of it, I always say that if I met the president, I would say, 'Hi, my name is Beanie.'

My whole life, not just in my professional career but in community theater, I played the supporting role.

I saw 'Brooklyn' so many times.

I did my first little kids' musical, 'The Sound of Music,' at 5, in a jungle gym, essentially. I was a made-up Von Trapp child, Ingrid Von Trapp.

I had a friend whose family had dinner together. The mother would tuck you in at night and make breakfast in the morning. They even had a spare bike for a friend. It just seemed so amazing to me.

I just want to give advice to everyone to go the right way. It is important for me. The most important thing is to listen to your family.

Murders with guns are the No. 1 cause of death for African-American men between the ages of 15 and 34. But talking about race in the context of guns would also mean taking on a subject that can't be addressed by passing a law: the family-breakdown issues that lead too many minority children to find social status and power in guns.

Breast cancer isn't one disease - it's probably four or five different types, and without knowing what type a person has, you can't optimize treatment for them.