If you are born into a family with little money but a lot of love, you will find yourself more content than one who is born with a silver spoon and an empty home.

One truth I know for sure is that I am so blessed in my life.

I love my fans unconditionally. They have been supportive of me through everything, and I would not be here, giving this interview to you, without them.

Accepting new challenges makes me come alive.

It is important for me to truly understand the people I am portraying and their struggles, in order to give an honest performance.

Nobody can ever be fully prepared to deal with a new, painful situation. Sometimes I react with patience and sometimes I react by doing something impulsive. But I always learn from such experiences.

A general message to everyone on the planet would go something along the lines of, Make Love, Not War.

Being receptive to what is happening around me gives me inspiration and feeds my desire to create.

It's important to have a fallback and other activities that keep you interested. I started acting when I was about nine or 10 years old. My father was a midtown firefighter so I always wanted to be a firefighter, but then acting came along. I have to have a plan B.