Marsai Martin

It doesn't matter if you're 4 or 84; there's no age limit to what you can do.

I don't want to be known as just an actress. I want to be known as an entertainer and entrepreneur.

I just want to keep making my family proud.

It just runs through my family, to be honest. I come from a very big musical, entertainment background.

I would say I was, I guess, a toddler when I actually found my passion because, when I was little, I used to mimic all these movies and sing all this music that you wouldn't think a toddler would know. I would think my passion just started there, and it just grew with me.

Sometimes I go Go Karting. Just regular old kid stuff.

I would always thank my parents in everything I do because they sacrificed everything for me to do what I love.

My parents took a chance and sacrificed their jobs and a big move to California. And they were like, 'Are you sure you want to do this? We're literally packing up this whole house.' And I would always say, 'Yeah.' I'm six years old. And they were like, 'OK, if she wants to do this and this is her passion, then let's do it.'

Growing up, I didn't have any inspirations.

The majority of my time working is with adults, so I have 'experience' without experiencing it.

My parents would watch movies like 'Big' and 'Freaky Friday,' and I wanted to see that kind of story told from an African-American angle. So I had the idea for 'Little,' and then I told my parents, and we all fleshed it out together.

My parents always told me I could do anything, so I never had limits on what I could or couldn't do.

I kept a lot of my ideas to myself because I honestly thought no one cared. So it was surprising to find out that people did! Now I know that I can do anything, and I want other people to feel the same.

I feel like fame can get into people's head, and you always hear that child actors are doing this, or parents are making their kids do that. I feel like, since we're kids, we have an imagination where we can do whatever we want at any time and if that it is their passion, they will tell you.

I hope that we always have diversity, that we have equality and representation every step of the way.

I hope to bring fresh ideas to the big screen.

The audience will understand something that's very authentic, and that's all that I want to create.

Even in reality shows, how they look at black women like they're the monsters - snatching wigs, and weaves and wigs, weaves and wigs, basically, and throwing water and stuff. That's how people see us often, as we are the enemies of things. I wanted to change that because that's not a good example.

It's people who look like me, just seeing representation of everyone. I didn't get that when I was young. I only saw one black girl that was on a Disney show, that was known for being the sassy, coocoo, that type of girl.

It's very rare to have an amazing cast who supports you and loves you for anything you do in the future.

I've had to learn that not everything is so serious.

I would watch movies and listen to music that you wouldn't think a child would listen to.

I wanted other people to see what's in my mind as a young 14-year-old girl because sometimes, when men - or just older people - try to make films from what they think is a kid's perspective, it doesn't come out the right. It's like, 'Ehhh, that's probably not what we would do!'

That's the point I'm trying to get across in 'Little': Kids can do anything, and that's how adults need to see things, too.

I see myself directing, writing, doing my own TV shows and movies.

At a very young age, when I was a baby, I used to mimic all of these movies, like 'Dreamgirls' and 'Ray,' the type of movies you wouldn't think a little kid would know. But my parents thought I was great.

I'm all about showing up for my friends, especially when they need me the most.

I wouldn't do a whole pop album. But I would do a musical.

Believe in yourself. Push to your highest limit.

The more comfortable you are, the more confident you are - in how you say your lines or how you perform in a certain scene - because you're working with great people who will watch over you and won't let you down.

I think now I get to create and inspire more young black girls to continue doing what they love and reach for the stars.

No one ever said that I couldn't create my own projects, but no one actually told me that I could be an executive producer, either.

I usually go home and go to sleep; that's what I do for fun.

Comedy is one of my favorites, but I also want to get into drama and sci-fi.

You don't have to change who you are for anyone: if you are your regular, authentic, confident self, then you can push to do whatever you want.

We need more of those characters that lead by example for people coming up next to us.

Outdoors, I have a pool, so I usually swim and stuff. It's usually superhot in California, so we swim.

I used to be the shy kid who would barely raise her hand or speak her mind.

I've always been interested in directing, writing, and producing, so when I went behind the scenes, it was like a whole new world that I got to experience.

My goal is to show young women and girls that our voices and ideas matter, and you are never too young to dream big!

I just want to keep on creating stuff that people can relate to and inspire anyone who feels like their voice isn't heard; being relatable and being as authentic as possible is the whole goal of my production company.

One of my mom's favorite movies growing up was 'Big' with Tom Hanks. I thought, 'Oh, OK, what if we do something like that but not like that. Something more modern, with a different perspective, and maybe with an all-black cast.'

I want to get to the point where I can retire at 21, and my whole family is proud of me. That's the goal in everything that I do.

That's something that I have to work on: Self-confidence and loving myself.

Your girl gets a lot of anxiety. It's OK. It's a learning process.

A lot of people will say different stuff like, 'You can't do it.' They'll say no before I even say anything. You just have to believe in yourself, and there's a reason they might say no, because they probably haven't seen it before.

There's a bunch of stuff I want to act in and also create.

If it is something that you are interested in, and it is your passion, then tell your friends, because help is the best thing. If you stay confident, it will happen.

I am so excited for the magic I'll be able to create and produce with Universal.

Everyone thinks you have to grow up to know who you are, but kids already know who we are. The world just beats it out of us.