I have this dog named Marley, and it is a kind of love I had never known. I have a hard time believing Marley did not come from my body. I know that sounds insane, but I feel that connected to her. She made me realize I wanted to adopt children.

One of the ways I think I gain fodder for characters is by watching people.

Obviously, it wasn't meant for me to die of cancer at 40. Every day my life surprises me, just like my cancer diagnosis surprised me. But you roll with it. That's our job as humans.

An addict is an addict. If they're not acting out in one area, it tends to come out in another. I think there was a time when I considered myself a work addict, but that's no longer accurate.

I wanted to act; that was my one goal. I wanted to devote all my time to acting and not waitressing or anything else.

I'm a very ritualistic, routine-oriented person, and I discovered over the years that I love working Monday through Friday.

I was able to support myself by acting alone about six years ago. Until then, I was just scraping by.