#toptwenty2020

“Hope is a flame, the light that never falters, the beacon of eternity. It is heavy and inconvenient, but there is no greater duty than this one. The fate of lost souls rest on your shoulders.”

“Maybe I have to find my own inspiration. But am I ever gonna find it? And is it worth all the trouble?”

“Dearest Lilibet, I know how you loved your papa, my son. And I know you will be as devastated as I am by this loss. But you must put those sentiments to one side now, for duty calls. The grief for your father's death will be felt far and wide. Your people will need your strength and leadership. I have seen three great monarchies brought down through their failure to separate personal indulgences from duty. You must not allow yourself to make similar mistakes. And while you mourn your father, you must also mourn someone else - Elizabeth Mountbatten. For she has now been replaced by another person - Elizabeth Regina. The two Elizabeths will frequently be in conflict with one another. The fact is, the crown must win. Must always win.”

“Chess isn't always competitive. Chess can also be...beautiful. It was the board I noticed first. It's an entire world of just sixty-four squares. I feel...safe in it. I can control it. I can dominate it. And it's predictable. So if I get hurt, I only have myself to blame.” 

“So earlier at Amy's, I didn't give a real toast because...I didn't know what to say. But, since that time, a wise unsmiling man named Jerald Jimes made me realize what I am thankful for. So, I'd just like to say I am happy to be here with my family. My super weird family with two black dads, and two Latina daughters, and two white sons, and...Gina. And...I don't know what you are. Some strange giant baby? To the Nine-Nine!”

“The best thing about us is we're there for each other emotionally. It's like we go through the ride together. I think when one of us is kinda hurting, we hurt with them. We're just there. We're like shoulders to cry on, we're holding hands, we give each other advice, we have each other's backs. It's that constant support system of having sisters there all the time. I'm thinking, that's what I love about us. We always, always, have each other's backs. It's just important I think the industry we're in and the things that happen, we go through it together and that's why it's less daunting.”

“I’ve noticed change. I’ve seen a willingness of production companies and studios to castings in a way that they wouldn’t normally do. You can’t make certain statements about a black lead, or a black cast, or having a certain number of people of colour – it’s not just black actors – anymore. In fact, it’s been proven that audiences want to see difference. They want to see variety and a world that reflects them whether it be race, gender, or sexuality. They want to see those things, so I think people are looking for opportunities in storytelling now.”

“This is the nature of family, isn't it? I have seen it countless times on countless worlds. People arrive, so we celebrate, and people leave, so we grieve. We do what we can with the time in between, but the cycle is always there. No one escapes it. Not even me.”