I never thought I would actually become a professional actor. I just kept going with it. One thing led to another.

Laura Harrier

Categorized in : Thought Just Never Professional

We all know what it's like to go through growing pains and have awkward moments talking to someone you have a crush on.

someone know you moments

I come from a family of strong women, who have been positive role models for me.

me women family positive

I really connect to strong feminist writers that make their ideas accessible for the rest of the world.

rest strong world ideas

Growing up, there were no families on TV that looked like mine.

mine like up growing-up

I just hope I can still take the subway, honestly.

just subway i-can hope

It's hard to connect to these superheroes that are completely out of this world. But Spider-Man is first and foremost Peter Parker, who we can all relate to.

first who hard world

I do a lot of yoga, and that definitely helps. And Pilates is so good for your legs.

your good pilates legs

I was a dramatic kid. I was always like, 'Watch me put on my play, Mom and Dad! You have to watch me put on all these outfits and do this play!' But my family is very academic and straightforward and normal Midwestern people, so the idea that I could act as an actual job wasn't really there.

me you family people

It's natural to get nervous about anything you care about.

anything you nervous care

If you really want something, it's nerve-racking, but at the same time, I try not to stress myself out about it too much because there are also so many arbitrary things that go into being cast for something - you know, like the color of your eyes, all these things that are kind of out of my control.

eyes myself you time

I thought I'd be doing weird, Off Broadway theater after I graduated.

weird off doing thought

People are like, 'Was it hard growing up mixed?' 'Did you not fit in?' and I'm like, 'No? What? That's the dumbest question ever.'

you hard growing-up people

I am a black woman, and of course, that's who I'm going to be playing, but I'm also biracial, and that's a different side of the experience.

woman i-am experience black

I think, living in the city, it's so easy to forget that you're attached to the earth.

city think you forget

I'm learning every day.

every-day every day learning

The media is controlled.

controlled media

People just can't wrap their heads around two young black women in a major production.

women black young people

Even though 'Spider-Man' is a huge blockbuster, it really didn't feel like that. It felt like we were making this weird, funny high school movie. Like just hanging out with a group of friends.

feel friends funny school

My dad works in insurance; my mom is a speech pathologist. Very Midwestern, adorable childhood.

childhood dad speech mom

I stopped modeling so I could go to drama school at the William Esper Studio. It's Meisner.

go modeling drama school