When you can find a strong character and a director that does want to protect the integrity of all characters, female and male, then you have a good deal.

If you're seen as beautiful or sexy then your only options in terms of character descriptions are beautiful, sexy, cute - and that's it. And that affords you a certain amount of opportunity but that opportunity ultimately leads to a spark, never a flame.

The sad thing about our society is that women are put in one of two categories. You're either in the beautiful category and you're seen as sexy and beautiful, or some version of that, or you're put into another category... The latter category affords women the opportunity to be smart, funny, independent, mean, strong, intelligent and opinionated. We take them seriously as politicians, if they fit into that latter category. We respect their opinions more and give them higher expectations. That latter category is what allows female actors to be characters.

I grew up driving old pickup trucks on the ranch with my dad, and I still always find myself driving like I'm out in an open field, except I'm in LA on La Cienega in the middle of rush-hour traffic.

If you're not seeing each other anymore because things are so strained, and your only communication is a weekly e-mail, and you're wondering which medium is most appropriate for announcing your desire to break up - guess what, you've already broken up.

You know, I've kind of been lucky enough to always work with established actors or big names or people that are really popular or infamous for doing what they do and doing it well, I guess.

I grew up just outside of Austin, and my upbringing was fairly rural.