I never thought of myself as a sex symbol. I just do the cover of magazines. I think it’s really unfair men or people in the world think you can’t be both – you can’t be a sex symbol and a serious businessperson. Who says I can’t be both? Who says I can’t do the cover of Maxim and run a production company? Women are complex. Women are beautiful and intellectual and spiritual and social and entrepreneurial. They’re everything. And I think I’m a great example of that.

In my family, there was one cardinal priority - education. College was not an option; it was mandatory. So even though we didn’t have a lot of money, we made it work. I signed up for financial aid, Pell Grants, work study, anything I could.

I'm very efficient and the people who work with me always say that - they know when they have a day with me it's going to be really exhausting because I love to fit as much in as possible.

My grandma has never been impressed with the TV show [Desperate Housewives]. She was so angry because I was on television kissing a boy naked; she's very traditional. She said: "If I ever see you kissing that boy again...".

Meeting people is difficult, period. LA is a difficult place to meet people anyway, and Hollywood is such a small community. But I don't make it a rule just to date other actors and people in the entertainment industry. It could work out with me and a dentist. It could work out with me and a lawyer.

I'm super careful with my skin and make sure to protect it. I always sit under an umbrella. And I'm a sunblock bully. If you're on the beach with me, I will spray you down with SPF 50-plus.

I don't think relationships are all about sex, but it's definitely about passion and that feeling of "I want you now." I love that romantic side of it.