Paula Patton began her career behind the scenes as a documentary producer, but she’s been upfront on the big screen in thrillers like Deja Vu, opposite Denzel Washington, and Mirrors, with Kiefer Sutherland.

Now, Patton is playing a strong-willed teacher in Precious, trying to give down-and-out inner-city students a new start on life and learning. She takes a special interest in Precious, an overweight, illiterate teenage mom with big dreams, played by Gabby Sidibe.

Parade.com’s Jeanne Wolf found out why Patton had a special connection to the role.

“She faces the challenge of a lot of teachers who deal with kids from very troubled home lives who have not gotten the education they need. But when she teaches them more than how to read, how to respect themselves, she’s like a tough love mom…”

Read more on Parade.com

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