I was bullied in elementary to middle school. It messed with my self esteem.

Ashton Sanders

Categorized in : School Self Middle Middle School

'Moonlight' has changed my life externally but also internally... spiritually as well.

well my-life moonlight life

I think it's cool to be different. That's what cool is.

be-different cool think different

It's really crazy looking back on my bullies or whoever was trying to torment me or tease me, because karma is just, like, crazy.

looking me looking-back crazy

I want to keep doing projects that speak for people within the community and tell different types of meaningful stories.

doing community speak people

I auditioned for 'Moonlight' without knowing anything. I went in the room, and I didn't know the lines as well as I should have. I didn't know a thing about the script. I wasn't told anything. I heard it was a low-budget film, and my agent told me to do it. I was super-ignorant to it.

room without know me

I wanna be Mahershala Ali in my next life. He's the man. He's a really genuine guy. He's a really great guy, one of my favorite people on this planet.

great man life people

I would just encourage my younger self to not care about people's perceptions and to love myself fully and to keep progressing and striving for what you are going to become.

myself you love people

It's awesome that my job is to make people have reactions.

awesome make job people

I'm getting the training I need to progress as an actor. If something comes up and I have to drop, I'll drop.

need something training progress

There are so many stereotypes of how you have to be as a black man, growing up in the community as a man.

you man black community

I was skinny and black and didn't play sports. And I was bullied.

skinny black play sports

I like to have fun and be myself and express myself through how I dress.

dress have-fun myself fun

Hollywood is showing respect for all different types of art.

respect hollywood different art

We're raised to believe that black men have to be one specific way.

black men believe way

I feel like a lot of black men 'put on' because of what they see and because of what people tell them they have to be.

feel black men people

I bury things in the back of my mind I don't really want to deal with.

back things mind want

There's so many strict ideas and rules, whether it's from religion or it's just generations and generations.

rules just ideas religion

Despite everything that's going on, people need love.

need everything love people

I don't think things will lead me astray, as long as I'm tapped into myself.

myself think me long

I definitely wasn't the kid playing sports. I was super different.

playing kid different sports