Yet in the celebrity-obsessed culture, where everything of you is a shot on the red carpet, I don't want that to dominate my image. First and foremost, I am an actor. I want great roles.

I do think once I get into expectations, I've just trained myself. I've just trained myself to just move on to the next.

When people write lies about you, and you know that they are lies, that means that they don't know the truth, so that's OK with me. If something true came out, I would have to check my circle to see who's talking and possibly make an apology phone call to my parents!

Being sexy is just one component. It's not a thing I am. It's a thing I can be. It's a side of myself I can tap into, just like I can tap into my funny side, my quirky side or my dramatic side. It's not what I am.

When people write lies about you, and you know that they are lies, that means that they don't know the truth.

I remember reading scripts when I started in the business, and [Latino roles] were either nonexistent or written as the maid or a drug dealer. We're no longer just that. I'll play any part that challenges me. What's important is that all races have choices.

I've taken [acting] class with Larry Moss, who's more kind of in the theater world, so he's really educated me about playwrights.