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I've been very lucky to have played a variety of characters, and they weren't defined by their race.

As an ambiguously non-white actor, I've been able to play light-skinned African American guys, Latinos, and I don't think that I've ever had to play some kind of ethnic stereotype or something that was typed specifically for a person of color.

People in the industry thought it was laughable that I should be going up for things that didn't clearly state what race the part was intended for.

I get offered a lot of black roles, because apparently I don't look Latino enough.

I don't know how one would define an affirmative-action hire. I ultimately do not know what role race played in my hiring.

I do believe, as a person of color, the disparities are great. A lot of the roles that were sent to me were 'Gangbanger No. 1.' And when a role did come up that I felt carried and represented my community in the best ways, I wasn't the only one that knew it existed. So I'd have to compete.

Being the person I am, you know, the size I am, being a woman, being a black woman, there's not a lot of roles for us.

If you think about 'Person of Interest' with Taraji P. Henson or 'Scandal' with Kerry Washington - any of those black women could have been any race; they just happen to be black. And those are the characters that I'm more attracted to. It's not so much about separation of race, but really, more uniting us.

I'm just trying to play against ethnicity. I got to play a guy from Louisiana in 'The Pacific' named Merriell Shelton, and now I'm playing Elliot Alderman.