Lena Waithe wants to have a legacy.
Lena Waithe
The 'Master of None' star feels it is important that she is remembered in the future for her work and chooses her jobs carefully.
She said: "I just don't want to make things that are forgettable. I want to make things that make you feel something and, as long as it makes you feel something, that's all I care about."
And the 34-year-old screenwriter, actress and producer had to "pound the pavements" of Los Angeles when she first started out.
Speaking to the March issue of Nylon magazine, which is in honour of Women's History Month, she added: "I really did have to come out here and pound the pavement and figure it out ...
"I didn't have any connections, can't make any calls, but I was just like, I'm going to give it everything I have."
Lena previously insisted she never wanted to be an actress.
She said: "I think that's what's so cool about it. It was not a part of my master plan, at all. I wish it had been. I wish I could say that I had this great idea like, 'Yeah, I'll do the acting thing, which will then help the writing thing'. It just happened, around the same time.
"For me, it's been a wonderful journey to just stand at different places on set, as an actor and understanding that role. I feel like I'm the least stressed, when I'm acting on a set, because I just gotta hit my mark and have fun with the lines, listen to the director and go home.
"When I'm a writer on set, I'm not stressed, but my brain doesn't shut off because I'm like, 'I could improve that line', or, 'I could punch that joke up more', or, 'This scene isn't working the way I had intended it'. My brain is just constantly going, and I actually have fun doing that because I'm a writer first."