For me, acting was a reward. I had to get good grades in order to act, in order to be on TV. I had to do well in school so I could work. To me, it was like an after-school activity, something to look forward to.
When I was in third grade, I would run home - literally run home from school - and if I could make it in time, I could get home and the put the TV on in time to catch the answering machine message at the start of 'The Rockford Files.'
I was never chasing to make a career out of it, but every day after school, I'd go to my keyboard and play for four hours and make up songs. It was a constant part of my life.
We would go to the football pitch near my estate and play until it was dark.
When I was in high school, my mom worked at Bed, Bath and Beyond, so I was always there.
My dad worked for a theatre company that was two minutes away from my primary school, so I'd just walk there after school and watch the rehearsals. I think that's probably when I fell in love with acting and telling stories.
'Rocking With Leroy' used to come on when I would come in from school. It was a very, very big R&B broadcast of the day when I was a young girl. And I would come in and put my books down, lie down on the floor, and listen to 'Rocking With Leroy.'
I had a theater that was right across the street from me, and I would just go there after school and just hang out and watch... and everything seemed calmer there and nicer there and warmer there.
