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We were poor. But my mom never accepted that. She worked hard to become a residential contractor - got her master's with honors at the University of New Orleans. I used to go to every class with her. Her father was my paternal figure.

I was brought up as an only child, and we were very close. But when I was 14, we got evicted. We came home to a padlock, and I looked up at my mom and she was crying, and there was nothing to do.

When I was a kid, there were no credit cards. Instead, retailers offered layaway plans. My mom would go to a store, such as a furniture outlet, choose the sofa she wanted, and put it on layaway. That meant she put a little money down to hold the sofa, and every payday she'd pay a little toward the purchase.

My mom has a rare talent for being able to open up the refrigerator, and with the peas, the leftover eggs, the cream, the spinach, the cheese, and a little rice, she can just whip up incredible risotto.

My mom really inspired me. She has always taught me it's not about us, it's about what we can give back.

She hits me and she beats me and she drinks. My mom is an alcoholic.

When I was a kid and my mom made tomato soup, she would cut buttered toast into squares and float them on top of each bowl.

Mommy smoked but she didn't want us to. She saw smoke coming out of the barn one time, so we got whipped.

I think my first big purchase was actually for my mom. She had one of those '90s TVs in her living room that's like a 10x10 brick, so I purchased her a flatscreen for her living room.

Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married. He was eighteen, she was sixteen and I was three.

My mom and I have always been there for each other. We had some tough times, but she was always there for me.

My mom was a free spirit, and she brought me up to be a free spirit.

I do work too hard sometimes, but my mom is such an inspiration. She tells me to 'chill out' and not take things so seriously. She will say: 'Go and have a massage.'

My mom used to get arrested for being with my dad. She would get fined. She would spend weekends in jail.

My mom told me if I ever got a tattoo, she was going to take it off with a potato peeler.

I'm terribly sad about Farrah's passing. She was incredibly brave, and God will be welcoming her with open arms.

I was sad that Corpse Bride was so short. I would've liked to have had her around for way longer. She doesn't actually have that many scenes.

I loved being Maleficent. I was quite sad to put my staff down and put my horns away because somehow, she just lives in a different world.