She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2006 for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. She was nominated for Hustle & Flow.
Paula Jai Parker: When I go to the hood, they love me. When I go to Rodeo Drive, they follow me. I've been in the game for a while, but I'm still not getting love from the crossover section.
Paula Jai Parker: Vivica [A. Fox] once told me that it takes a good 11 years for a Black actress, who is decent, sticks to her morals, and doesn't sleep her way to the top, to make it.