Marsai Martin

“My parents would watch movies like 'Big' and 'Freaky Friday,' and I wanted to see that kind of story told from an African-American angle. So I had the idea for 'Little,' and then I told my p...”

“Everyone thinks you have to grow up to know who you are, but kids already know who we are. The world just beats it out of us.”

“I've always been interested in directing, writing, and producing, so when I went behind the scenes, it was like a whole new world that I got to experience.”

“A lot of people will say different stuff like, 'You can't do it.' They'll say no before I even say anything. You just have to believe in yourself, and there's a reason they might say no, bec...”

“Believe in yourself. Push to your highest limit.”

“I hope to bring fresh ideas to the big screen.”

“I feel like fame can get into people's head, and you always hear that child actors are doing this, or parents are making their kids do that. I feel like, since we're kids, we have an imagina...”

“One of my mom's favorite movies growing up was 'Big' with Tom Hanks. I thought, 'Oh, OK, what if we do something like that but not like that. Something more modern, with a different perspect...”

“My goal is to show young women and girls that our voices and ideas matter, and you are never too young to dream big!”

“I don't want to be known as just an actress. I want to be known as an entertainer and entrepreneur.”

“I hope that we always have diversity, that we have equality and representation every step of the way.”

“No one ever said that I couldn't create my own projects, but no one actually told me that I could be an executive producer, either.”

“The majority of my time working is with adults, so I have 'experience' without experiencing it.”

“Comedy is one of my favorites, but I also want to get into drama and sci-fi.”

“Even in reality shows, how they look at black women like they're the monsters - snatching wigs, and weaves and wigs, weaves and wigs, basically, and throwing water and stuff. That's how peop...”

“The more comfortable you are, the more confident you are - in how you say your lines or how you perform in a certain scene - because you're working with great people who will watch over you...”

“Growing up, I didn't have any inspirations.”

“We need more of those characters that lead by example for people coming up next to us.”

“Your girl gets a lot of anxiety. It's OK. It's a learning process.”

“That's the point I'm trying to get across in 'Little': Kids can do anything, and that's how adults need to see things, too.”