“My dad would call me his Cuban princess because I had really dark olive skin because I was always in the sun; but I don’t really go in the sun anymore, so that is why I am so white.”

I want to keep making movies, hopefully with some nominations, if I’m lucky! Movies that make people feel something, where they walk away and say, “Gosh, she’s different.”

My secret is one the world needs to know – nearly a billion people a year die from unsafe drinking water.

I’m in the studio for hours in that tiny little box, and really, the performing part is what I’m most excited about.

I think that everyone has the power to make a change in the world.

I’ve been dancing all my life, but I never did it seriously.

Everyone suffers some injustice in life, and what better motivation than to help others not suffer in the same way.

You always just have to be the best that you can be. And if you know that in your heart, then that’s all that matters.

I tend to have a lot of guy friends.

I’m not a boy band kind of girl. I like hip-hop, I like R&B.

I don’t really hashtag things. Unless I’m talking to somebody and I’m being funny and I say something mean but then I’m like, Hashtag…something that’s funny. I like to only hashtag funny things, not real stuff.

I do have many of the same friends I grew up with. Most I’ve known since we were three or four years old! I have made new friends as well.

I think that since it’s prom, you should definitely wear a long dress. You can wear a short one anytime! This is the moment when you get to be a princess, and for me, that means a sweetheart neckline, long, then pouf – out and big.

Acting isn’t a side thing – you have to live and breathe it.

I want people to look at my films and say ‘Wow, she’s a good actress’, and I know I’ll have to work hard for that.

I think everything about my life is magical. I’ve struggled, and against most odds, I’m truly having the experience of living my dreams.

I think the best advice came from Drew Barrymore, about always finding love in everything you do and keeping a positive attitude and being thankful.

My mum always told me I was precious, while my dad always told me I was worthless. I think that’s a good grounding for a balanced life.

Really, I didn’t know my dad very well. He and my mother split up after the war. I was raised by my maternal grandmother and grandfather, and by my mother.

My dad challenged every president from President [Dwight] Eisenhower and Vice President [Richard] Nixon to President [J.F] Kennedy.

As my father used to tell me, the only true sign of success in life is being able to do for a living that which makes you happy.

When Courtney’s mother and I first separated I tried to be Disney Dad, showering her with gifts, trips and then I snapped out of it.

Dad taught me everything I know. Unfortunately, he didn’t teach me everything he knows.

My dad was in the army. World War II. He got his college education from the army. After World War II he became an insurance salesman.

Mom and Dad even took in foster children. ‘There are no limits to how much you can love,’ Dad always said.