I'm from New Orleans. There's a lot of vampire mystique and mythology that resonates there, and I was fascinated by it. I always wanted to play one.

I've never been on a TV show for more than a season and you have to continually keep it interesting and you have to keep it connected, even as you change.

You don’t always win, but every time you lose, you get better.

My great-grandchildren will not be able to enjoy the Gulf Coast of Louisiana the way I have.

Why are we deforesting for pulp and paper when we have a logical and efficient solution in plants like kenaf or bamboo? It doesn't make sense to me at all.

Before vampires were aesthetically appealing, they were physical anomalies and ostracized outsiders whom we banished to the dark, and they didn't have the appeal that they do now.

My grandmother was this unbelievably smart, phenomenally cool woman and [soap operas] were just always on in her house. I just realized that I live in a soap opera, and it's awesome.