Madea is a cross between my mother and my aunt. She's the type of grandmother that was on every corner when I was growing up.

The most important thing that I learned in growing up is that forgiveness is something that, when you do it, you free yourself to move on.

What I've learned is you treat women right.

Being on the 'Alex Cross' set, and watching and learning about and paying attention to everything that was going on there, I realized, 'Here is a moment for me to learn.'

When I occasionally indulge in sort of a 'look back' at highlights, it's so interesting - it almost never comes from an image on a set or even the Academy Awards. It's almost always a family trip or meeting and falling in love with Cheryl.

Acting with people whom you know is like being with the family. It is a comfortable ground.

Six months after I was born, we moved to Ghana. The first five years of my life were there. In 1982, when there was a coup d'etat, my family left because the government was overthrown, and my dad was involved in politics.

Steampunk is not a group of children in a classroom, sitting quietly while the teacher reads a story; it's the kids at recess, playing a wild, endless game of pretend.