In my freshman year in high school, I went to the only public high school in Boston with a theatre program.

I love food shows: Anthony Bourdain, Iron Chef, Chopped, you name it.

We never really felt a real level of respect. The fame was fantastic, but that wasn't that important to me, because for every million people that loved me I focused on the one that hated me.

I had to learn how to become a real actor, I had to suffer and be rejected and face that 100 times just like every actor. It wasn't like someone handed it to me

I try to ground most of my characters in reality somehow. That's kind of what I bring to the table.

To me it is harder to play a real person, but when you do it and you feel good about it and the person feels good about it, I think that's doubly rewarding. So the challenge is greater, the risk is greater, but the reward is greater as well.

You can't dictate if a character's going to come off as sympathetic to an audience. I just tried to play it as honest as possible.