I was classically trained in operetta from about age 4, I think.

As an actor, I function from a place of compassion and empathy - you have to believe 100 percent what your character is doing, because otherwise it will look like it's not real.

When people are grieving, it's kind of like a storm, and you need something to grab onto, but often you have to brave it on your own.

My parents listened to music in our house all the time when we were growing up. It was everything from Dolly Parton to Paul Simon... We packed in everything.

Music's always been a big part of my life, but it kind of all happened in one big ball of storytelling rather than splitting acting and singing apart.

My family was very encouraging, and both of my grandparents were both beautiful singers. My grandmother was a coloratura soprano, and my grandfather was an Irish tenor in a barbershop quartet.

I always loved bluegrass, but there was so much I didn't know about American country music in respect to the origins of this country. It was interesting to see the evolution of it.