As long as I've been at a gym and it all looks right I'm cool. If I haven't worked out I'm keeping my clothes on.
But that we didn't have the level of experience in terms of working in the industry so you weren't sure and you needed to see it and this is an industry that the more you work the better you get and that the more opportunities you have the better you get.
First of all when you're a mommy like you like the consistency of being on a show like that's just peace of mind, I know I have financial, you know stability.
For the most part, I'm very happy with the pace I'm taking to get where I'm going. I think, in a couple of years, everyone will know who Nia Long is.
He just was being four. He just was being a child. He wasn't interested in what my agenda was. He wanted to do what he wanted to do and it started because he saw the lights on in Toys R Us.
I can look at a scene and know exactly how I felt in that moment. It's weird but I can watch Boys in the Hood and know exactly how I felt in a moment.
I don't think it's a matter of not a good thing to be thinking of, I think it's just going to say, you're not like the only one that feels this way, there are other children that feel what you feel but I'm a single mom myself, it just didn't work out, hey, that's life, we're great friends.
I don't think you should reprimand your child for everything you're feeling because for them it's as serious as when something happens in our day and we get upset about it.
I have a beautiful son, I don't regret it, I'm very proud of the way that we handle our relationship and the way that we keep our son first and that's our priority.
I have a four year old and I'm telling you we did Nickelodeon last night and he embarrassed me. It was like one of those moments when I couldn't believe my kid is acting like this. I just had to just like walk away from him because he was really pushing my buttons.
I just got the script for 'Big Mama's House II' and so that's kind of circulating. We'll see what happens with that. It's on the release schedule.
I know for me like I have a reputation of being kind of tough, I have a reputation of also being the girl next door, kind of sweet but I have standards and my thing is, it's me on that screen and I don't have control over everything in this and I'm grateful and thankful.
I know for Ray no one wanted to pick up the film, it was in turn around forever.
I know where I'm going to be, I'm not traveling here and there and everywhere. That didn't necessarily prompt me to it but it definitely opened up my mind of saying okay, maybe this is a good time to do this.
I need to do a project that starred me, that's about me, developed by me, and produced by me. Regina did an amazing job in Ray.
I said 'Brian, no one is going to respect me as a mother after this.' He said, 'oh no, yes they will, this is a movie, don't worry about it.' But they're not.
I think for me to find that project is going to be something that I'm going to have to develop for myself.
I think Nina Simone has had an amazing journey. She was spicy and she had attitude and she didn't care, she wanted her money in a paper bag and don't mess with me and I've been doing some research on that so.
I think there are a lot of other actors that are just talented, it's just about this opportunity - it's just about when are we going to be put in those positions where we can shine.
I think you grow through your experiences; you get better as you grow and I'm not nearly where I think I'm going to be eventually where I inspire to be and hopefully the opportunities will continue to come.
I took a little break - I was coming back to work and the last thing I was going to do was take a step backwards, so I knew that if I was going to take a feature it was going to have to be taking a step forward.
I was happy she got it and I have to sort of - and one of the reasons I did Third Watch is because I wanted to break that thing of just being the pretty girl and play it down and let it be about the work.
I'm not going to live my life unhappy and why should he and we talk about it and I think what's great about the film is that it shows is the meaning of family doesn't have to be as traditional as it once was, like you can make a family.
I've seen some great write ups and I emailed her the other night because I saw her on an awards show recently.
In terms of Cube I think he's very conscious of the technical aspect of the business whereas when you're just hired as an actor, you're not really secure in that part of your work and you're not really paying attention to where the camera.
It took a long time to get that film made. I went in for it almost right after or like maybe six or seven months after I had my son and actually auditioned for the Regina King part and they just were like, 'No, you're just - you just don't really seem the part.'
It's like going to the gym everyday. It really is. I work hard on my craft, I sweat a little bit, I run a little bit, I might sprain an ankle every now and them, but it's all good and the more you do it, the more in shape you are and it's like a machine.
It's my motor, it's the thing that keeps me going and so when I have these auditions for these big movies, I can depend on myself because I've been working consistently.
Oh no, you always read the script because you have no idea what's going to happen.
That's when Alfie came along and it was the perfect vehicle for me to come back, playing a little bit older, playing a little bit more, not so much girl but now woman with some issues and then this came along, so you have to talk about building a career and Third Watch is something for me.
They have the big ferris wheel and we've been out of town for two months, so he just was like, 'Mommy I want to go to Toys R Us and I don't care if you have a movie coming out and all that.' He was just being a kid. But I had to allow him to have that moment.
They're fighting for you and your ex-husband to get back together, don't worry about it and so that look that they actually use in the commercial in the trailer, that was one of my moments where I have to give a black mama look because if I don't I'm going to be in trouble.
Was she crazy? Aren't we all? Aren't us all a little bit left - aren't we all just a little bit like - we're often misunderstood.
We haven't even gotten a start date but we'll see what happens with that and that will be fun. I've gotten a couple of other things but I'm not really committing myself to anything yet.
We're all in the service business. If you hire me to do a job I expect everybody else to be where I am. A little bit of crazy is good. It keeps things - balanced.
Well, the studios don't really want to take those risks right off the bat. They'll take the risk after they've seen the finished product and say oh yeah we want that. This is a great film but they are hesitant to take the risk when you just see it on paper.
You need the words, you need the script, you need the material, you need the commitment, you need the passion, it's like we depend on writers, we depend on producers, directors depend on us and once things are in the divine order as they happen.
Nia Long is starring in the movie Are We Done Yet!
Starred in Black Jaq (1998) (TV) as Jaqueline 'Jaq' Blackman
Co-starred in the movie Boiler Room (2000) as Abbie Halpert
Starring in the movie Everwood aka Our New Life in Everwood (UK: new syndication title)
Will be starring in the movie Are We Done Yet? as Suzanne Kingston. (2007) (pre-production) (in talks)
Attended Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California.
Nia Long is of Trinidadian descent.
Voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the World 2000 by People Magazine.
Nia Long's birthday is on the 30th of October, Micheal Beach's birthday is on the same day.
Her sister is comedian Sommore.
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