Was there a time in your career when you had to exceed people’s expectations of you?

Oh my God, of course; I’m a brunette girl from Queens. I was never enrolled in a traditional textbook. I was always wavering between these truths, these truths. It wasn’t always just because I was black or because I was a woman. Sometimes it was because he met the other player and really wanted to go with him, or “this is his life or a very specific story about her life and blah, blah, blah…”. But after a while, when you hear it over and over again, you start to wonder: “I know they’re good people, but does that mean they’re open enough to tell the story?” And when I found out the answer was no, I wasn’t afraid because it wasn’t about me. It was never about me. I would rather find people along my path who are more compatible with me.

You’ve been involved in some of the most successful film franchises in history and played iconic characters. So, did taking part in these projects create any obstacles for you in terms of other opportunities?

They did in the sense that while I was raising a family, still living my life and growing, a lot of my time was spent on franchises and the planning of those franchises. And so it became difficult. But in terms of expansion, it allowed my name to be heard (heard) around the world and that only benefited me; to be seen as an asset to other projects and other filmmakers. Sometimes the opportunity would arise but I could not take advantage of it due to timing. It got a little frustrating, but as soon as I went to work, even though I was doing episodes two and three, working with amazing filmmakers, and coming back with the same cast, I was grateful. Always.

Do you see the closing? guards As the closing of a chapter in your career?

Maybe. I can’t say that I will never go to space. I love being in space. I would like to be just a human in space. I don’t see myself wearing makeup for three to four hours every morning. I’m very concerned about the chemicals and stuff that you put into your system for a long period of time because we shoot these movies over like five months. But I love science fiction.

What’s next?

I would say anything. From where? I’m a Gemini, so I never know what I really want. But for some reason, unconsciously, I wake up every morning and walk towards it. So I’ll trust that.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. For fashion and beauty details go to: VF.com/credits.