Trivia
- Sanaa was ranked #21 in Celebrity Sleuth magazine's "The 25 Sexiest Women of 2005" in 2004.
- Sanaa was ranked #68 in Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" in 2001.
- Sanaa was named one of Ebony magazine's "55 Most Beautiful People" in 2000.
- She played Sidney 'Sid' Shaw in the movie Brown Sugar.
- Sanaa was nominated for a Tony Award in 2004 for the stage version of Raisin in the Sun.
- In 2004, Sanaa won "Best Performance by an Actress" at the American Black Film Festival for her work in the film Out of Time.
- Sanaa astrological sign is Virgo.
- In 2001, she received the NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Actress in a motion picture for her performance in Love and Basketball.
- In 2000, she received the NAACP Image honor nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture for her role in The Best Man.
- She's 5'7" (1.70m) tall.
- She will play Beneatha Younger in the upcoming movie, A Raisin in the sun (2007).
- In 2003, she played Ann Marei Harrison in Out of Time co-starring Denzel Washington.
- In 2006, she played the role of Kenya Denise McQueen in Something New co-starring with Simon Baker.
- The name Sanaa means both "work of art" and "beauty" in Swahili.
Quotes
- Sanaa: (Talking about her first experience on a movie set) Blade was my first movie. I was just terrified. I didn't know what was going on.
- Sanaa: I'll eventually go back to theater because the feeling of being on stage where you have the audience right there, you can't replace that with anything.
- Sanaa: I love making movies. I love the fact that movies are forever. When I'm 80, my grandkids can see me in Love and Basketball and in Brown Sugar.
- Sanaa: (While filming AVP) I did work out every day. I needed it to have the endurance to do what needed to be done and not get hurt. I have such a new respect for action stars now.
- Sanaa: (Talking about her audition for Love n' Basketball) I had never picked up a basketball before. I went through a grueling audition process. It was almost as if I was learning to walk. It would be like teaching somebody to dance ballet for a role.
- Sanaa: Some of us just have to work harder to stay in the game.
- Sanaa: We all have ideas about who we are, and sometimes we do step outside of that box.
- Sanaa: Being strong can be also feminine. I don't think feminine equals being weak. Being strong is very sexy.
