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" I've done 21 films in eight years, and I've said 'No' more times than I've done films. "

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" Toronto is like a smaller, safe New York. "

" I know a lot of people who are weak, who are in a perpetual cycle of poverty and being locked up. There are guys from my neighborhood who are in jail or who are dead. It does take a certain strength to know your environment and say, 'I can grow beyond it.' "

" A lot of characters I've played have a certain amount of strength, pride, and leadership. "

" I'm from Harlem, born and raised there. "

" Eating right has made the biggest difference in my body. "

" With my first son I cut his umbilical cord and everything, so I'm a hands-on father, to say the least. "

" Actors look at life in a different way. When I meet people, I know that one day I may portray that person or someone like them. It may be a cop or a homeless guy. It helps you to pay more attention to people. Everyone I meet, I retain something from them, something from their personality. It helps me to portray realism in my work. "

" I think, in any artist's mind, you can't just be into yourself. You have to look at the world in an objective view. "

" It's always a pleasure when you get to work with people that you actually really like. "

" I loved the extended version of 'Aliens' because it shows just a little bit more that you don't see and what they always show on television. "

" I want to see my family prosper, see my kids grow old. "

" Once or twice a week, I try to do some kind of boxing. I'm hitting the bags and jumping rope - all that stuff. "

" I always try to bring a certain masculine presence to what I do. That is part of the dynamic. "

" I've gotten to travel all over the world and meet all kinds of people and do all kinds of great things, so it's, like, surreal. It just lets you know how time flies, especially when you're having fun. It seems like time keeps going by faster as I get older. "

" I hated how Sam Rothstein got manipulated by Sharon Stone's character in 'Casino.' I mean, I just hate how he gets manipulated; that just gets ridiculous to me. I know it's historic, but I hated that. "

" Being from New York, living in L.A., being in Chicago, you kind of get more of the big-city, melting-pot sort of thing. But when you drive through the country, there's so many small pockets of people that don't experience people of different backgrounds. So what they've seen on television is their baseline. "

" I love working with Sally Field, and Steve Buscemi is one of the most giving, talented actors I've ever worked with. "

" In the early '80s, it was hard to find celebrities you can identify with if you lived in the hood. There weren't any rap videos at the time. "

" I almost turned down '8 Mile.' I was due to start 'ER,' and I learned they really wanted me to be in '8 Mile.' I didn't know Eminem; I just knew he was a rapper and saw what everyone else saw in the media. I thought they were just trying to capitalize on his popularity. "

" 'Mekhi' means, sort of, one who loves water, and the relationship with water and how water is important to life... It's a sense of being needed and purpose - you know, we have a purpose on this earth, and we're here to fill that. "

" I definitely applaud Netflix and all of those guys, whether it's Hulu or whoever, for doing original programming. "

" When break dancing was out, I break danced. When rapping was the thing, I freestyled rap on the street and battled and all that kind of stuff. "

" When you're working and making money, that's all good, but there has to be something that provides a substance, I think. "

" I love kids, outings, camping, sports, Legoland, all the Daddy stuff. I love it. I wish I could just do that, but I have to work, too. "

" I grew up in a rough environment. You want to be strong and have your presence felt out there. That attitude reflects how people see you. "

" I've dated interracially a lot. I grew up in Harlem, so I've dated Latins, Dominican, Guyanese, Cuban, black, white. "

" Rap is definitely a youthful expression. "

" I'm a big road trip guy. I'm the guy who gets in the RV and drives across country. And when you do that, you really get to see small-town America. "

" My agents usually get a breakdown of all the projects that are out there. When I got 'Divergent,' they hadn't finished the script. They knew they wanted the leader of the Dauntless to have a certain demeanor and energy. They had me read a short monologue, and I got the part. "

" When you become an actor, at some point you look for something that brings you back to your roots. You find something that people around your neighborhood can relate to. People that you're close with can relate to. "