text: Queen Latifah on Paula Patton – Variety
  November 29, 2009 9:25AM PT
  Queen Latifah on Paula Patton
  A powerful performance from 'Precious' star
  Queen Latifah on Craig Zadan: 'Before Inclusion Was a Talking Point, Craig Always Broke Barriers'
  "Precious" is an incredible film on so many levels with one powerhouse performance after another. When I saw this film it really made an impact. I felt sad angry and heartbroken. And then into the film walks Paula Patton. In this sea of madness fury and chaos comes this beacon of hope light and goodness. She was Don Cheadle standing his ground in front of the children in "Hotel Rwanda" or Edward James Olmos standing in front of that classroom in "Stand and Deliver." From the minute she appears in the film you can't help but feel blanketed in the warmth and kindness of her character. She feels the pain and past tragedies of her students but she doesn't harp on the negative. She lifts them up and she carries them forward. She gives them hope and a sense of themselves and in the process she gives the audience a reason to keep going on Precious' journey no matter what's in store. Paula's performance is understated and moving in such a precise way … any more or any less would have caused this character to either become a wallflower or go to the other side of the spectrum. But she gets it just right. I was blown away.