I had my graduation from kindergarten performance
they noticed that I had a gift. When I stood up and said,
"A is for apple," very clearly and out to the audience, you
just couldn't get me off the stage. I felt the happiest and
safest on stage all through school. In college I majored
in drama. While I was there, I did a musical theater
program the summer between my second and third year.
A casting director came and did a workshop. I did a
monologue and they started bringing
me in for auditions. I was cast as
Juliet in a production of "Romeo and
Juliet" at a theater right outside of
New York. I was reviewed by Variety
and the New York Times. It was
amazing and ridiculous. It never
happens that way.
where I felt the strongest, the bravest
and freest. Being on stage, I was able to
disappear into whatever character I was
playing. I was good at it, really, really
good at it. When I didn't have confidence socially,
I had confidence performing.
always been interested in all kinds of different people
and understanding motivations for why people do the
things they do. Acting allows me to jump into the shoes
of lots of different people and see the world through their
eyes. Sometimes you play villains and sometimes you
play heroes. When you play villains you have to find a
way to love the villain because if you can't find a way to
love the villain, you're not authentic. You have to find
the humanity in everybody.
and is not obsessed with myself. Often I
As I navigate the waters of Hollywood, it is remembering
the roots of my identity, instead of letting everybody's
comments about me cloud that. Separating the truth
from the lies, that's still hard, so hard.
different experience. There is so much beauty and truth
in every piece of art. You can find moments of humanity
in places where you connect as a human being. Don't
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