I took an internship at Focus Features while I was in film school. I was really interested in how specialty movies were marketed and found their audience despite being about topics that were outside of the mainstream.

I think I'll always be making movies that intend to say something new.

If you examine any aspect of the human condition long enough, you really do have to start laughing at it. Because the business of being human is kind of ridiculous.

I think I have a threshold for taking things too seriously.

One of the most powerful lessons I learned is when you make an argument in a film, you have to make sure both characters are right.

Racism is over in the 'Star Trek' future, but they found a way to comment on sexism and racism in the present day in such a subversive and smart way, you know?

I love great prestige television, but because I make television, sometimes I don't want to, like, you know, fall into a very heavy cerebral drama.

I went to a school called Chapman University, which is a wonderful film school. It was a great program, but it was very white, and it was a culture shock for me because I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I went through what they call magnet schools, so my friends were like a Benetton ad.

America is a different country, and it will forever be a different country after the election of Donald Trump.

My thing is to try to tell the truth as honestly as possible. For me, the weight is, how can I tell the truth through fiction, the best that I can?

I tend to take on too many projects at the same time, but as I've always done, I will continue to shift my focus onto whatever feels most urgent in the moment.

Every movie has the thing it's about, and then, deep down, it has this thing that it's really about. 'Star Wars' is not really about a space opera, action, and the galactic quest. It's about self-doubt.

It is a fine line between making fun of the right thing and making fun of the wrong thing. And the language oftentimes is the same.

I know it's 'Dear White People,' and you can imprint all kinds of concessions about what the show might be about on the title, but my goal was never to, like, educate white people. My goal was always to create characters that you can relate to and fall in love with.

Part of my struggle with being gay was that a lot of my homophobia was internalized because of the cues that I was - received. I didn't see anybody like myself in the culture. RuPaul was the closest to a gay, out black man that I had growing up.

It's always kind of gratifying to go back to the place that launched you and show you did good.

Films with predominantly white casts can come in any form, tell any story, big or small. For black films, you have the light, fluffy rom-coms or 'Madea' movies, and then you have the black-torture awards movie.

I can honestly say I am a Christian, but my spirituality has been developed on the road and is based on my experiences with God.

The best part about being alone is that you really don't have to answer to anybody. You do what you want.

The worst thing about being famous is the invasion of your privacy.

As time goes by people will see who I am for who I am.

My teenage years were exactly what they were supposed to be. Everybody has their own path. It's laid out for you. It's just up to you to walk it.

I'm very thankful to be doing what I'm doing. I feel very blessed.

True love, to me, is when she's the first thought that goes through your head when you wake up and the last thought that goes through your head before you go to sleep.

I was raised in a very humble environment, and I was always taught to be humble to the things that are happening in my life because they're blessings. They're blessings in every way. Whether you're able to help someone get through a tough time in their life through your music or through comedy, or whatever it is, you're just a channel.

What makes most people comfortable is some sort of sense of nostalgia. I grew up in a small town, and I could count my friends on one hand, and I still live that way. I think I'll die in a small town. When I can't move my bones around a stage any more, you'll find me living in a place that's spread out and rural and spacious.

I pick my nose and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If there's a bogey then just pick it, man.

The right scent can make you feel a little more stylish, but it should never eclipse who you are. It should complement who you are.

Golf is me and buddies out having a good time, but most of all, golf is about me and my dad. Anytime I think of golf, I think about my dad. He taught me how to hit a golf ball, and he got me playing.

I will always come with something that's aesthetically pleasing.

There's nothing wrong with shooting for the stars.

Every time you do a project, you learn something new.

I don't see myself as someone who's ever going to be defined by one moment. It's on to the next.

I have 20,000 girlfriends, all around the world.

The golf swing is very, very rhythmic. There's a certain tempo to it, just like in music.

The many sounds of Memphis shaped my early musical career and continue to be an inspiration to this day.

I'm a perfectionist. I can't help it, I get really upset with myself if I fail in the least.

I used to think I actually was Batman.

I think my style is kind of a cross between a skater hippie and an R&B star. If there were something I was going to endorse, it would probably be something like sneakers. Something that would be me.

Gossip is called gossip because it's not always the truth.

When I was a kid, I played basketball religiously. I begged my mom to get me voice lessons because I wanted to learn to sing the right way, but at the same time, I was playing Junior Olympic basketball, and I was playing point guard for my school. But I was wanting to get into entertainment, into music and film and television.

If there were something that I was going to endorse, it would probably be something like sneakers.

The only thing I wasn't prepared for was being everywhere all at the same time.

The hardest part about making movies is staying the exact same weight every day and looking the same.

When I'm not on stage, I'm kind of shy. If you see me and I don't say much, don't think I'm not taking in what you have to say. I'm just not a big talker.

I have OCD mixed with ADD; you try living with that.

The most boring thing in the world? Silence.

I'm a mutt as far as music is concerned because I listen to everything.

'Friends With Benefits': it feels like a two-hander to me, but it is a big movie, and this is the first straightforward male I've been able to play. I would describe my character in 'The Social Network' as a kind of sociopath. I would describe my character in 'Bad Teacher' as... just a weirdo. But this is a male's male.

I believe people can move things with their minds.