You can't be hateful because you love yourself. And we're extensions of each other; we're all connected.
— Chrissy Metz
I carry a lot of my weight in my stomach. I just want to have... not even a number, but to have my body in a different shape.
I know that sounds corny. And I know you've heard it before. But it's really true: We're so much more than our bodies.
When I'm not shooting, I'm a leggings and boots girl. I like cute and casual - for me, it's all about feeling good and being comfortable.
Whether you're tall and you play a basketball player, or overweight and you play somebody who is dealing with the issues behind the weight, we all have to pull from real life to make those performances authentic.
When you listen, as a human being and an actor, you can react authentically.
When I booked 'This Is Us,' I had 81 cents in my bank account.
I am of the thinking that everything happens as it should and when it should.
I look in the mirror, and I'm a plus-size girl, but I got it going on.
I remember being a kid and always feeling a little different than all my friends.
I realized that... at the core of who we are, we're these perfect beings - and we're not taught that.
My parents divorced when I was eight; I never really knew my dad, and my mom raised my older sister and brother and me alone. It was challenging.
I have no shame when it comes to making people laugh. I don't care what I look like.
I think everyone has shame about something, whether it's a lack of a relationship with a child or maybe their weight or a lack of communication within their marriage. Everyone can relate to that because we all have something that we're like, 'God, I can work on that,' or, 'I wish I was better at doing this.'
It can be very hard to find clothing for different body shapes. After all, there are only, what, five companies for plus-size women?
I remember being at Weight Watchers at, like, 11 years old and my mom just trying to figure it out for me.
I started coming into my own at 30, discovering what's important to me, not caring what other people think.
My father is a big guy; he's had a quadruple bypass surgery, and that's scary. Those are real things that happen in families with overweight people, and I don't want that.
I have revered Mandy Moore for so long, and I just love her, and she's just, like, a perfect human.
I want to wear something because I love it, not because it follows the rules.
If I find a cute skirt, I'm not fixated on a brand.
Our weights fluctuate: Some people gain or lose, even friends who are average size. If I would say 'I'm fat,' my friends would say, 'Don't say that!' And I'd think, 'Are you offended, you can't handle the word? Or do you think I am embarrassed?'
I try to be present in the moment and to be authentic, and to listen.
I moved in with a roommate who told me, 'Stay with me until you can afford rent. Don't give up.' People who supported me were like, 'If you don't have money for food, I'll cook you dinner. You don't have money for acting class? Let's get together and read lines.'
I have been able to help my friends and people that I believe in pay their bills and stay afloat in L.A. while following their dreams.
I have been in Los Angeles for a long time, and I have wanted to be a series lead for a long time. It's literally on my bucket list.
I think that my whole journey had been getting to the place where I can accept myself for who I am, to be the woman that I'm meant to be, but you have to get there first.
I was always the class clown, and I think I gravitated toward performing for the attention I didn't always think I was getting at home.
I was born in Homestead, Florida.
I wanted to entertain and make people laugh. I think it really hit in third grade, but once I was in high school, I joined chamber choir. I wanted to do musical theater, too, but they had rehearsals at the same time. That was a bit of 'Sophie's Choice.'
Until you love yourself, until you really believe that, you're stopped in your tracks. That's why it's so important to wear what you want to wear and be who you want to be.
I just feel really grateful that I can pursue my dreams and also reach people in ways that I never expected.
My sister's tall, thin, model-esque.
We're all just trying to do the best with what we've got. I hope I help people see themselves on TV.
I would love to go on 'The Biggest Loser,' where it's a concentrated thing.
I'm just kind of in love with Kathy Bates. And Sarah Paulson.
If there was going to be a pioneer of the plus-size girl of my shape on TV, why not me?
Most of my stuff comes from Eloquii, Torrid, Lane Bryant - even Target!
I try to not to overanalyze, not to watch myself too much, but to be present in life and in my art. I'm so glad it comes off in that way.
There is something that happens when you are grateful: You continue to keep receiving blessings. So I will always be grateful.
I kept auditioning, with no savings and no money, credit card debt gaining interest. I went on unemployment. I bought ramen noodles at dollar stores. I never had to - God forbid - live on the streets.
I'm ready to encourage and support people on their journey because I've been encouraged and supported. I just hope I make people proud.
I taught preschool previously, so I was like, 'Oh, I can teach little kids to act, and I can go back home.'
It's very strange. I can't go anywhere without somebody stopping me, which is so cool that I get to connect to people that I never might've ever spoken to, or they have an impetus to speak to me. It's created a career that I wasn't sure if I'd ever really have.
There were times I'd be nervous walking home from elementary school, thinking, 'If that red tag from the power company saying our lights are turned off is on the door handle, I don't know what I'll do.'
I wanted to be the female Jim Carrey.
I'm the middle child.
Just because we're a bit curvier doesn't mean we don't want to look great.
When I turned 30, I had this epiphany that my life is my own and my choices are my own.
There are plus-size women who've paved the way - Rebel Wilson, Gabby Sidibe, Melissa McCarthy. I can't wait for the day when I can have a conversation, and it's not about the size of my pants but how I prepared for the role.
